ribbon
Americannoun
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ribbons
plural
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a woven strip or band of fine material, as silk or rayon, varying in width and finished off at the edges, used for ornament, tying, etc.
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material in such strips.
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anything resembling or suggesting a ribbon or woven band.
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a band of inked material used in a typewriter, adding machine, etc., that supplies ink for printing the figure on the striking typeface onto the paper beneath.
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a strip of material, as satin or rayon, being or representing a medal or similar decoration, especially a military one.
an overseas ribbon.
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ribbons,
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torn or ragged strips; shreds.
clothes torn to ribbons.
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reins for driving.
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a long, thin flexible band of metal, as for a spring, a band saw, or a tapeline.
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Also called ribbon board. Also called ledger, ledger board. Also called ribbon strip,. Carpentry. Also a thin horizontal piece attached to studding to support the ends of joists.
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Architecture. came.
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Nautical. Also a distinctive narrow band or stripe painted along the exterior of a hull.
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Shipbuilding. ribband.
verb (used with object)
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ribbons,
present (3rd person singular)
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ribboned,
past participle, past
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ribboning
present participle
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to adorn with ribbon.
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to mark with something suggesting ribbon.
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to separate into ribbonlike strips.
verb (used without object)
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ribbons,
present (3rd person singular)
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ribboned,
past participle, past
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ribboning
present participle
noun
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a narrow strip of fine material, esp silk, used for trimming, tying, etc
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something resembling a ribbon; a long strip
a ribbon of land
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a long thin flexible band of metal used as a graduated measure, spring, etc
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a long narrow strip of ink-impregnated cloth for making the impression of type characters on paper in a typewriter or similar device
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(plural) ragged strips or shreds (esp in the phrase torn to ribbons )
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a small strip of coloured cloth signifying membership of an order or award of military decoration, prize, or other distinction
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a small, usually looped, strip of coloured cloth worn to signify support for a charity or cause
a red AIDS ribbon
verb
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to adorn with a ribbon or ribbons
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to mark with narrow ribbon-like marks
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to reduce to ribbons; tear into strips
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ribbonsimple
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ribbonssimple
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have ribbonedperfect
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has ribbonedperfect
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am ribboningprogressive
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are ribboningprogressive
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is ribboningprogressive
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have been ribboningperfect progressive
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has been ribboningperfect progressive
Past
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ribbonedsimple
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had ribbonedperfect
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was ribboningprogressive
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were ribboningprogressive
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had been ribboningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ribbon
First recorded in 1520–30; variant of Middle English riban(d), from Old French, variant of r(e)uban, perhaps from Germanic; see band 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the school, including during my entangled session on the river, we used ribbon instead of flies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Far from staging the blue ribbon Ulster senior finals it will now only be able to host lower ranking fixtures.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
And she’s recently cut the ribbon on Café do Capa, an open-air capybara-themed stop along the cycling path.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
By comparison, only one out of 55 eastern ribbon snakes and three out of 36 ring necked snakes tested positive.
From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026
Wrapped in paper and tied with a ribbon.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Females lay ribbons of eggs that can stretch for an impressive 20 feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
His and Lissie's wedding pictures adorned the front pages, police forces and football clubs held minutes' silences and blue ribbons were displayed in his hometown of Wallingford.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The mural ceremony was held April 24 immediately after the school’s 50th annual district track meet, where Brown interacted with the participants and handed out ribbons.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
They should streak the salad lightly, creating ribbons of deeper gold without disappearing entirely.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
A glowing rainbow began to float in the air like ribbons from the tip of the arrowhead.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Proceedings start in Jedburgh with the ribboned ball being thrown into a ruck of the two teams.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Of course, I was sold instantly and he packaged it up in a ribboned bag.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025
For decades, advocates for new national institutions have fought to secure a position on the mall, where land is limited and often ribboned with rules that forbid construction.
From New York Times ● Oct. 27, 2022
But Keane — shirtless, in blue trunks, ribboned red scars lining his neck and a shoulder that hasn’t fully recovered — stayed in control, even when stepping to the nose of the board.
From Washington Post ● May 13, 2022
Red paint streaked the sides and a lazy curl of smoke ribboned from the top.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
What, didn’t you see all the New Year’s Eve eulogies sliding across your feed like tears ribboning down millions of teenagers’ cheeks?
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2026
While the two roads ribboning away from the intersection were easily identifiable, everything else in the frame had changed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
Every single part of the dress is made out of duct tape, including its striped ribboning, embroidered flowers, flowy sleeves and intricate lacework.
From Fox News ● Jul. 23, 2021
“So if you’re in a pet shop, do not call her,” Venus said, her arms and legs ribboning out like plains-state freeways from her shorts and tank top.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2019
Before him to the north the cliff fell away sharply to the Kum River, a broad stroke of silver ribboning its way through the hills and plains.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
