ribbon
Americannoun
-
ribbons
plural
-
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 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.
-
Architecture. came.
-
Nautical. Also a distinctive narrow band or stripe painted along the exterior of a hull.
-
Shipbuilding. ribband.
verb (used with object)
-
ribbons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ribboned,
past participle, past
-
ribboning
present participle
-
to adorn with ribbon.
-
to mark with something suggesting ribbon.
-
to separate into ribbonlike strips.
verb (used without object)
-
ribbons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ribboned,
past participle, past
-
ribboning
present participle
noun
-
a narrow strip of fine material, esp silk, used for trimming, tying, etc
-
something resembling a ribbon; a long strip
a 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 cause
a red AIDS ribbon
verb
-
to adorn with a ribbon or ribbons
-
to mark with narrow ribbon-like marks
-
to reduce to ribbons; tear into strips
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ribbonsimple
-
ribbonssimple
-
have ribbonedperfect
-
has ribbonedperfect
-
am ribboningprogressive
-
are ribboningprogressive
-
is ribboningprogressive
-
have been ribboningperfect progressive
-
has been ribboningperfect progressive
Past
-
ribbonedsimple
-
had ribbonedperfect
-
was ribboningprogressive
-
were ribboningprogressive
-
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:
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
When she took up the oversized, bedazzled pair of scissors to cut the ribbon, two sturdy men made sure they had a firm hold on her.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
For billions of years, an ancient cluster of stars has been gradually coming apart, shedding stars that now form a faint, narrow ribbon across space.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
And six months after taking over the team, Bay cut the ribbon on a multi-million-dollar training complex at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, which added to the team’s worth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
This is even worse than hills saying hello, he thought while watching the loose ribbon inexplicably fall to the ground.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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
On long red ribbons fastened to a metal structure around a tree trunk, people wrote wishes for success at work or school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Many prominently featured slogans, which were intertwined with suffragette banners and ribbons.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Crisp bacon, juicy diced tomatoes and ribbons of shaved green cabbage get folded in at the end, where they stay cool, crunchy and unmistakably BLT-adjacent.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Black ribbons streamed from the tips of his fingers.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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
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
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
“Congratulations on your Gold medal,” said Dr. Zinchenko as she draped a ribboned medallion over each of the winning team members’ heads.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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
They joined forces, ribboning the state in the Airstream, blaring John Philip Sousa marches on their approach to every town “at a volume which would probably make people deaf.”
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2016
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.
