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
Four smaller masses were located inside the carousel on a disk suspended from a copper-beryllium ribbon about as thick as a human hair.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Dresses made of silver gift ribbon and plastic jump ropes had the effect of an espresso shot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Observer leads with news that at least 675 are dead and 3,000 remain missing "along a 60-mile ribbon of mud" on the border.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
It matched the ribbon on the dogs' boots and the ribbon in my hair.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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
Many prominently featured slogans, which were intertwined with suffragette banners and ribbons.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Females lay ribbons of eggs that can stretch for an impressive 20 feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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
Grandpa laughed and said, “If you had forgotten those ribbons, neither one of us could have gone home.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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
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
Also woven in were diamante-encrusted nods to nursing bras, ribboned christening shawls, and coats and button-up nightdresses in prints inspired by vintage pastel bedsheets.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021
At a bear feast, the bear’s skull was ribboned and set out on a good red cloth, spoken to, honored.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
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
The diffusion of a chemical through a matrix of protein can even create distinct, three-dimensional patterns—like a pool of syrup ribboning into oatmeal.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
