1
a
: a flat or tubular narrow closely woven fabric (as of silk or rayon) used for trimmings or knitting
b
: a narrow fabric used for tying packages
c
: a piece of usually multicolored ribbon worn as a military decoration or in place of a medal
d
: a strip of colored satin given for winning a place in a competition
2
: a strip of inked fabric (as in a typewriter)
3
ribbons plural
: reins for controlling an animal
5
: ribband
ribboned; ribboning; ribbons
1
2
: to rip to shreds
Synonyms
Examples of ribbon in a Sentence
Noun
She wore pink ribbons in her hair.
She tied a ribbon around the present.
The present was tied with ribbon.
The soldier proudly wore his ribbons and medals.
Her pie won a ribbon at the county fair.
Verb
over the years the historic flag had become badly ribboned by the wind
Recent Examples on the Web
The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2024
And, as a final touch, Danielle Frankel gifted Elizabeth a ribbon to wear around her neck.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024
Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly Stafford, were back in Detroit on Monday to cut the ribbon on a new, $4 million addition to a recreation center on the city's east side run by author and philanthropist Mitch Albom's nonprofit, SAY Detroit.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 1 Apr. 2024
After the ribbon cutting, visitors packed through the gate to get a closer look at the Aluminaire House.
—Shane Reiner-Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Garnish with a handful of mint leaves sliced into the thinnest of ribbons, oregano leaves and lemon slices, and serve.
—Lucinda Scala Quinn, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
The Oppenheimer actress accompanied the designer to the 2023 Met Gala, dressed in one of his creations — a dramatic white gown coupled with a floor-sweeping ribbon sash and a towering feather headpiece.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
Note the simplified ribbon along the top, which is far less busy and distracting than the previous File Explorer’s.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Cut a small piece of ribbon and glue it to the center of the card's cover; this will become the flower stem.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024
oregonlive, 24 May 2023
Introduce the color in small doses: a throw on the couch, ribbon on a wreath, trim around a lampshade, or even gift wrap on the packages.
—Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Nov. 2022
To make way for the new highways that ribbon through Cairo, leading to the new city, builders razed vast patches of trees in the elegant old neighborhood of Heliopolis.
—Vivian Yee, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022
Attach important photos to construction paper and hang them from string or a clothesline using clothespins (if your party is indoors, attach them to twine or ribbon and hang from a mantel or across a wall).
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2022
As the road began to ribbon up and around the southern slope of the mountain, everything subtly shifted.
—Maria Shollenbarger, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2022
The Hoover Dam went from legislation to ribbon cutting in eight years.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 16 June 2022
Look 1 Kenneth Nicholson white gauze Dorcas tunic with letter and ribbon pocket detail from his spring/summer 2019 collection and vintage black sweatpants.
—Lindzi Scharf, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021
The Orland Park native and Sandburg graduate was the 2021 U.S. ball champion and the all-around, clubs and ribbon silver medalist.
—Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, 19 July 2021
Noun
An opening celebration starts with a ribbon cutting at 10:30 a.m., followed by live entertainment, giveaways and promotions throughout the day.
—The Courier-Journal, 4 Apr. 2024
And, as a final touch, Danielle Frankel gifted Elizabeth a ribbon to wear around her neck.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2024
Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly Stafford, were back in Detroit on Monday to cut the ribbon on a new, $4 million addition to a recreation center on the city's east side run by author and philanthropist Mitch Albom's nonprofit, SAY Detroit.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 1 Apr. 2024
After the ribbon cutting, visitors packed through the gate to get a closer look at the Aluminaire House.
—Shane Reiner-Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Garnish with a handful of mint leaves sliced into the thinnest of ribbons, oregano leaves and lemon slices, and serve.
—Lucinda Scala Quinn, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
The Oppenheimer actress accompanied the designer to the 2023 Met Gala, dressed in one of his creations — a dramatic white gown coupled with a floor-sweeping ribbon sash and a towering feather headpiece.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
Note the simplified ribbon along the top, which is far less busy and distracting than the previous File Explorer’s.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Cut a small piece of ribbon and glue it to the center of the card's cover; this will become the flower stem.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
Here’s a peek at the new flavors and some of the ingredients that inspired them: Lemon curd & whey This light and citrusy flavor uses whey as a substitute for lemon juice to make lemon curd that ribbons throughout the ice cream base.
—oregonlive, 24 May 2023
Introduce the color in small doses: a throw on the couch, ribbon on a wreath, trim around a lampshade, or even gift wrap on the packages.
—Savanna Bous, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Nov. 2022
To make way for the new highways that ribbon through Cairo, leading to the new city, builders razed vast patches of trees in the elegant old neighborhood of Heliopolis.
—Vivian Yee, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022
Attach important photos to construction paper and hang them from string or a clothesline using clothespins (if your party is indoors, attach them to twine or ribbon and hang from a mantel or across a wall).
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Aug. 2022
As the road began to ribbon up and around the southern slope of the mountain, everything subtly shifted.
—Maria Shollenbarger, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2022
The Hoover Dam went from legislation to ribbon cutting in eight years.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 16 June 2022
Look 1 Kenneth Nicholson white gauze Dorcas tunic with letter and ribbon pocket detail from his spring/summer 2019 collection and vintage black sweatpants.
—Lindzi Scharf, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2021
The Orland Park native and Sandburg graduate was the 2021 U.S. ball champion and the all-around, clubs and ribbon silver medalist.
—Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, 19 July 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ribbon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ribbon
Cite this Entry
“Ribbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ribbon. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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