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, ledger, ledger board, 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:
In early 2022, some doomers from Anthropic and other AI labs flew to a retreat on the remote Bahamian island of Eleuthera, a 110-mile ribbon of land known for its pink sand beaches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Gravity between the outer and inner masses caused the suspended torsion balance to rotate, twisting the thin metal ribbon.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The jet stream is a ribbon of fast-moving air high in the atmosphere, around six miles above our heads, and its shape, speed and position help dictate what type of weather we experience.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
In 2017, Clear Lake’s dire condition led the state to establish a blue ribbon commission, with tribal participation, focused on cleaning up the lake to bolster the local boating and fishing economy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The children, it must be said, liked the parks best, and Penelope did manage to purchase a pretty straw hat with a long pink ribbon that looked quite striking against her dark hair.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Branches were draped with colourful ribbons and ritual wreaths, while bonfires blazed high, ready for the military brotherhood to gather around them.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
At Hawksmoor, the delicate ribbons of Cantabrian anchovy undercut her previous bias against the fishy staple.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 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
Chilled sweet peas and ribbons of summer zucchini are tossed separately with olive oil, more lemon juice and handfuls of fresh herbs.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Zarra stands at her mark, her braids twisted with ribbons, facing a girl with straight brown hair.
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Proceedings start in Jedburgh with the ribboned ball being thrown into a ruck of the two teams.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Light jazz played from unseen speakers in a grassy landscape ribboned with walkways and dotted with drought-tolerant shrubbery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2025
The long-sleeved jacket invites a sense of ritual, with a stately v-shaped neckline and ribboned coat strings that are meant to be tied into a single-looped bow from the wearer’s left to right.
From New York Times ● Apr. 9, 2022
From here, go anywhere you please: via ribboned dark greens and fried breadcrumbs, cherry tomatoes and a few pats of butter, tinned fish and a shower of fresh dill, ground lamb and dry red wine.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2022
Friedrick reaches out and rights a tiny ballerina that has fallen sideways, returning her to balance on her ribboned slippers.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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
And sometimes there were swirling eddies of warmth, a bit of sun-drenched water ribboning around her.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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