Noun (2)
the movie is a rib of the "dramatic love story" that was so popular in the 1950s
began to lose his sense of humor after being the butt of his friends' ribs once too often Verb (2)ribbed him a bit about fumbling such an easy play
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Noun
According to photos on social media, Smokey Beards Q draws long lines for brisket, beef ribs, sandwiches and skin-on fries.—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Mar. 2025 Bone metastases can occur in any part of the skeleton, but the spine, hips, and ribs are common sites.—Julie Scott, Msn, Anp-Bc, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Verb
The fabric is thick and cozy, with ribbing that creates a smooth appearance.—Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2025 In the latest episode of the brothers' New Heights podcast, released Wednesday, March 5, the duo shared some back-and-forth about their respective hairstyles — and hairlines — initially sparked by a bit of light ribbing from Travis.—Bailey Richards, People.com, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rib
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English ribb; akin to Old High German rippi rib, Old Church Slavic rebro, and probably to Greek erephein to roof over
Verb (2) and Noun (2)
probably from rib entry 1; from the tickling of the ribs to cause laughter
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
: one of the series of curved bones of the chest of most vertebrates that are joined to the spinal column in pairs and help to support the body wall and protect the organs inside
b
: a cut of meat including a rib
2
: something (as a piece of wire supporting the fabric of an umbrella) resembling a rib
3
a
: a major vein of an insect's wing or of a leaf
b
: one of the parallel ridges in a knitted or woven fabric
: any of the paired curved bony or partly cartilaginous rods that stiffen the lateral walls of the body of most vertebrates and protect the viscera, that occur in mammals exclusively or almost exclusively in the thoracic region, and that in humans normally include 12 pairs of which all are articulated with the spinal column at the dorsal end and the first 10 are connected also at the ventral end with the sternum by costal cartilages see false rib, floating rib, true rib
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