as in to tear
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
over the years the historic flag had become badly ribboned by the wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ribbon
Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
The grand opening of the full-size football field was celebrated with speakers, a ribbon cutting and a flag football clinic.
—Laura A. Oda, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Vivian Yee, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 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
See All Example Sentences for ribbon
Noun
Woodrow Wilson head soccer coach Antonio Limon wore a soccer ribbon on his sweatshirt honoring his slain player Wornan Padilla Garcia at Pleasant Grove Stadium in Dallas, February 6, 2026.
—Dallas Morning News, 7 Feb. 2026
The grand opening of the full-size football field was celebrated with speakers, a ribbon cutting and a flag football clinic.
—Laura A. Oda, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
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
See All Example Sentences for ribbon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribbon
Noun
-
Cut each strip of pre-cooked bacon in half, and wrap it around each date, securing it with a toothpick.—
Jill Schildhouse,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2026
-
After the Tuffah strike, Israeli fire continued across the strip, said hospital officials.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The case has deeply embarrassed the royal family, especially his mother, who suffers from an incurable lung illness and who is torn between her role as mother and future queen.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
And that dislocation tore the labrum, which is the tissue that surrounds the socket and attaches it to the bone.—
Jenny McCoy,
SELF,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Of the 605 sites where a multiagency state and federal task force ripped out illicit cannabis plants, roughly 9% were on public lands — up from an average of 3% to 4%.—
Rachel Becker,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The footage also shows the person holding a flashlight in their mouth and trying to cover the camera with a gloved hand and part of a plant ripped from the yard.—
Hallie Golden,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ribbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribbon. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
