ribs
noun · verb
Form of rib , plural of rib.
Simple meaning
Any of the 12 pairs of curved arches of bone extending from the spine to or toward the sternum in humans.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ribzIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɪbz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
plural of rib
Any of the 12 pairs of curved arches of bone extending from the spine to or toward the sternum in humans (and similar bones in most vertebrates)
plural of rib
Any of a series of long curved bones occurring in 12 pairs in humans and other animals and extending from the spine to or toward the sternum.
plural of rib
Support resembling the rib of an animal
plural of rib
Cut of meat including one or more ribs
verb
third-person singular of rib
To leave strips of undisturbed ground between the furrows in ploughing (land).
third-person singular of rib
To tease or make fun of someone in a good-natured way.
third-person singular of rib
To shape, support, or provide something with a rib or ribs.
third-person singular of rib
To enclose, as if with ribs, and protect; to shut in.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any of the 12 pairs of curved arches of bone extending from the spine to or toward the sternum in humans (and similar bones in most vertebrates)
Used this way, ribs is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Between the chuck and the brisket.
Cut of beef containing rib ends near the sternum.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.