ripe

American  

[rahyp] / raɪp /

adjective

riper, ripest

1. having arrived at such a stage of growth or development as to be ready for reaping, gathering, eating, or use, as grain or fruit; completely matured.

   Synonyms:

   aged, grown

2. resembling such fruit, as in ruddiness and fullness.

   ripe, red lips.

3. advanced to the point of being in the best condition for use, as cheese or beer.

4. fully grown or developed, as animals when ready to be killed and used for food.

5. arrived at the highest or a high point of development or excellence; mature.

6. of mature judgment or knowledge.

   ripe scholars; a ripe mind.

7. characterized by full development of body or mind.

   of ripe years.

8. (of time) advanced.

   a ripe old age.

9. (of ideas, plans, etc.) ready for action, execution, etc.

10. (of people) fully prepared or ready to do or undergo something.

    He was ripe for a change in jobs.

11. fully or sufficiently advanced; ready enough; auspicious.

    The time is ripe for a new foreign policy.

12. ready for some operation or process.

    a ripe abscess.

13. Archaic. drunk.

    reeling ripe.

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ripe British  

/ raɪp /

adjective

1. (of fruit, grain, etc) mature and ready to be eaten or used; fully developed

2. mature enough to be eaten or used

   ripe cheese

3. fully developed in mind or body

4. resembling ripe fruit, esp in redness or fullness

   a ripe complexion

5. ready or eager (to undertake or undergo an action)

6. suitable; right or opportune

   the time is not yet ripe

7. mature in judgment or knowledge

8. advanced but healthy (esp in the phrase a ripe old age )

9. slang

   1. complete; thorough

   2. excessive; exorbitant

10. slang slightly indecent; risqué

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ripe Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing ripe

• time is ripe

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Related Words

Ripe, mature, mellow refer to that which is no longer in an incomplete stage of development. Ripe implies completed growth beyond which the processes of decay begin: a ripe banana. Mature means fully grown and developed as used of living organisms: a mature animal; a mature tree. Mellow denotes complete absence of sharpness or asperity, with sweetness and richness such as characterize ripeness or age: mellow fruit; mellow flavor.

Other Word Forms

• half-ripe
  adjective
• ripely
  adverb
• ripeness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ripe

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English rīpe; cognate with Dutch rijp, German reif; akin to Old English ripan “to harvest, reap”; see reap

Explanation

When a fruit is ripe, it is time to pick it and eat it. If you say the time is ripe, then now is the time for action. Ripe means ready. Ripe can also describe something that is not only ready to happen but well-suited for whatever is happening. A company can expect profits if the market is ripe for its product. When a ballpark has a short field, batters will say that the field is ripe for home runs. When things are ripe, it's a good thing — the time for action is now.

Example Sentences

That evening in 2020, I extract a reddish ripe seed from uchche, and plant it in a pot.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

In particular, large parking lots are ripe for change, they say.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The modified plants produced significantly more anthocyanins and terpenoids in ripe fruit, yet showed no differences in growth, fruit size, or sugar content compared to normal plants.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

Chip stocks might have been ripe for a pullback in any case—on Monday, the iShares Semiconductor External link exchange-traded fund snapped a winning streak which had lasted 18 consecutive trading sessions.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

We gather around the baskets and find ripe red strawberries, purple mulberries, and round loaves of bread made from some kind of coarse meal.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

• mature
• overdue
• plump
• prepared
• ready