ribbon

[rib-uh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ribbon ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

material in such strips.

anything resembling or suggesting a ribbon or woven band.

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.

a strip of material, as satin or rayon, being or representing a medal or similar decoration, especially a military one: an overseas ribbon.

ribbons,

torn or ragged strips; shreds: clothes torn to ribbons.
reins for driving.

a long, thin flexible band of metal, as for a spring, a band saw, or a tapeline.

Also riband, ribband, Also called ledger, ledger board, ribbon strip. Carpentry. a thin horizontal piece let into studding to support the ends of joists.

Architecture. came².

Also riband, ribband. Nautical. a distinctive narrow band or stripe painted along the exterior of a hull.

Shipbuilding. ribband¹(def 1).

verb (used with object)

to adorn with ribbon.

to mark with something suggesting ribbon.

to separate into ribbonlike strips.

verb (used without object)

to form in ribbonlike strips.

Origin of ribbon

1520–30; variant of Middle English riban(d) < Old French, variant of r (e)uban, perhaps < Germanic. See band²

Related formsrib·bon·like, rib·bon·y, adjectiveun·rib·boned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ribbon

bow, decoration, tape, streamer, strip, stripe, braid, prize, binding, fillet, band, award, trimming, cordon, corse, bandeau, banderole

Examples from the Web for ribbon

Contemporary Examples of ribbon

At various times, we had spoken about honors--Hitchcock had been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and wore a ribbon in his lapel.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
William and Harry were today cutting the ribbon on a new recovery centre for the charity Help for Heroes in Wiltshire.
Harry's Helping Hand For Heroes
Tom Sykes
May 20, 2013
The red AIDS ribbon subsequently became a unifying symbol for engagement and solidarity.
Martha Plimpton on Women’s Rights, Sandra Fluke, and Organization A is For
Martha Plimpton
November 5, 2012
The ribbon whooshes up and along walls before settling down, here and there, into something you can sit on.
Vito Acconci Named Designer of the Year by Design Miami
Blake Gopnik
October 24, 2012
And with a fine dose of ribbon embroidery and a bit of sparkle, grunge was dressed up enough for a grownup.
Raf’s Ready-to-Wear Debut at Dior
Robin Givhan
September 28, 2012

Historical Examples of ribbon

History is a ribbon, always unfurling; history is a journey.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
She had a ribbon in her long, glossy hair, and her face shone pleasantly with soap.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
He rolled the ribbon up tightly, and then tossed it lightly toward her face.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
It was a white lamb, decorated from ears to tail with knots of ribbon and with flowers.
Hetty's Strange History
Anonymous
He had obtained the ribbon of the Legion of Honour for his father.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for ribbon

ribbon

noun

a narrow strip of fine material, esp silk, used for trimming, tying, etc

something resembling a ribbon; a long stripa ribbon of land

a long thin flexible band of metal used as a graduated measure, spring, etc

a long narrow strip of ink-impregnated cloth for making the impression of type characters on paper in a typewriter or similar device

(plural) ragged strips or shreds (esp in the phrase torn to ribbons)

a small strip of coloured cloth signifying membership of an order or award of military decoration, prize, or other distinction

a small, usually looped, strip of coloured cloth worn to signify support for a charity or causea red AIDS ribbon

verb (tr)

to adorn with a ribbon or ribbons

to mark with narrow ribbon-like marks

to reduce to ribbons; tear into strips

Derived Formsribbon-like or ribbony, adjective

Word Origin for ribbon

C14 ryban, from Old French riban, apparently of Germanic origin; probably related to ring 1, band ²

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

Word Origin and History for ribbon

early 14c., ribane, from Old French riban "a ribbon," variant of ruban (13c.), of unknown origin, possibly from a Germanic compound whose second element is related to band (n.1); cf. Middle Dutch ringhband "necklace." Modern spelling is from mid-16c. Originally a stripe in a material. Custom of colored ribbon loops worn on lapels to declare support for some group perceived as suffering or oppressed began in 1991 with AIDS red ribbons.