rib

1
[ rib ]
See synonyms for: ribribbedribbingribs on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. one of a series of curved bones that are articulated with the vertebrae and occur in pairs, 12 in humans, on each side of the vertebrate body, certain pairs being connected with the sternum and forming the thoracic wall.

  2. a cut of meat, as beef, containing a rib.

  1. Architecture.

    • any of several archlike members of a vault supporting it at the groins, defining its distinct surfaces, or dividing these surfaces into panels: including ogives and tiercerons.

    • any of several molded members or moldings, including ridge ribs and liernes, and on the surface of a vault accenting the ridges or dividing the surface into panels.

  2. something resembling a rib in form, position, or use, as a supporting or strengthening part.

  3. a structural member that supports the shape of something: an umbrella rib.

  4. Nautical. any of the curved framing members in a ship's hull that rise upward and outward from the keel; frame.

  5. a stiffening beam cast as part of a concrete slab.

  6. a primary vein of a leaf.

  7. a vertical ridge in cloth, especially in knitted fabrics.

  8. a ridge, as in poplin or rep, caused by heavy yarn.

  9. a wife (in humorous allusion to the creation of Eve. Genesis 2:21–22).

  10. Ceramics. a scraper for smoothing clay being thrown on a potter's wheel.

  11. a metal ridge running along the top of the barrel of a firearm to simplify aligning the sights.

  12. a longitudinal strip of metal joining the barrels of a double-barreled gun.

verb (used with object),ribbed, rib·bing.
  1. to furnish or strengthen with ribs.

  2. to enclose as with ribs.

  1. to mark with riblike ridges or markings.

Origin of rib

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English rib(b); cognate with Old Frisian rib, reb, Old Icelandic rif, German Rippe; akin to Russian rebró “rib,” Greek orophḗ “roof, ceiling”

Other words from rib

  • rib·ber, noun
  • rib·less, adjective
  • rib·like, adjective

Other definitions for rib (2 of 2)

rib2
[ rib ]

verb (used with object),ribbed, rib·bing.
  1. to tease; make fun of.

Origin of rib

2
An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; probably from rib1 (because tickling the ribs provokes laughter)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rib in a sentence

  • He could hear Bob playing: "Way down upon de Suwannee ribber" on his concertina, and it made him nice and sad.

  • What lines were to follow, and what words rhymed with "ribber" and "horn," we are not permitted to know.

    The Master of Warlock | George Cary Eggleston
  • Far behind, at the very edge of the vast dark throng, some voices began singing: "Way down upon the Swanee ribber."

    The Patrician | John Galsworthy
  • "Nebber knowed one ob dem t'ings t' come so far up de ribber," declared one of the colored men.

  • Ev'y steamboat that come a-sailin' up de ribber brought beaux for Miss Lizzy Betty.

British Dictionary definitions for rib (1 of 2)

rib1

/ (rɪb) /


noun
  1. any of the 24 curved elastic arches of bone that together form the chest wall in man. All are attached behind to the thoracic part of the spinal column: Technical name: costa Compare true rib, false ribs, floating rib

  2. the corresponding bone in other vertebrates

  1. a cut of meat including one or more ribs

  2. a part or element similar in function or appearance to a rib, esp a structural or supporting member or a raised strip or ridge

  3. a structural member in a wing that extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge and maintains the shape of the wing surface

  4. a projecting moulding or band on the underside of a vault or ceiling, which may be structural or ornamental

  5. one of a series of raised rows in knitted fabric: See also ribbing (def. 3)

  6. a raised ornamental line on the spine of a book where the stitching runs across it

  7. any of the transverse stiffening timbers or joists forming the frame of a ship's hull

  8. any of the larger veins of a leaf

  9. a metal strip running along the top of the barrel of a shotgun or handgun and guiding the alignment of the sights

  10. a vein of ore in rock

  11. a projecting ridge of a mountain; spur

verbribs, ribbing or ribbed (tr)
  1. to furnish or support with a rib or ribs

  2. to mark with or form into ribs or ridges

  1. to knit plain and purl stitches alternately in order to make raised rows in (knitting)

  2. archaic to enclose with or as if with ribs

Origin of rib

1
Old English ribb; related to Old High German rippi, Old Norse rif reef 1

Derived forms of rib

  • ribless, adjective
  • riblike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for rib (2 of 2)

rib2

/ (rɪb) informal /


verbribs, ribbing or ribbed
  1. (tr) to tease or ridicule

noun
  1. a joke or hoax

Origin of rib

2
C20: short for rib-tickle (vb)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for rib

rib

[ rĭb ]


  1. Any of a series of long, curved bones extending from the spine and enclosing the chest cavity. In mammals, reptiles, and birds, the ribs curve toward the center of the chest and in most cases attach to the sternum (breastbone). There are 12 pairs of ribs in humans. See more at skeleton.

  2. One of the main veins of a leaf.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with rib

rib

see stick to the ribs.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.