rib

noun
UK /rɪb/ US /rɪb/

rib noun (BONE)

B2 [ C ] a bone that curves round from your back to your chest:

My son broke a rib when he fell off a ladder.

[ C or U ] a piece of meat taken from this part of an animal:

He cooked rib of lamb for Sunday lunch.

See also

spare ribs

[C] one of the curved pieces of metal or wood that support the structure of
a boat or roof
More examples

 She elbowed me in the ribs before I could say anything.

 Two of her ribs fractured when she was thrown from her horse.
 She gave me a sharp jab in the ribs with her elbow to stop me from saying any more.
 The knife went through his ribs and punctured his lung.
 She had an X-ray to see if any of her ribs were broken.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

rib noun (PATTERN)

[U] a method of knitting that makes a pattern of raised parallel lines
See also

ribbed

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom

poke/dig sb in the ribs

rib
verb [ T ]
INFORMAL UK /rɪb/ US /rɪb/ -bb-

to joke and laugh at someone in a friendly way about something:

His brothers ribbed him about his new girlfriend.

Synonym

ridicule

See also

ribbing (JOKE)INFORMAL

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

(Definition of “rib” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus ©
Cambridge University Press)

"rib" in American English

ribnoun [C]

US /rɪb/

rib noun [ C ] (BONE)

one of the bones that curve around from the spine (= the line of bones down
the center of the back) on each side of the upper part of
the body to form the chest

A rib is also a piece of meat taken from this part of an animal:

barbecued ribs

Ribs are also

the thin, curved pieces of metal or wood that shape and support the sides and
bottom of a boat or the top of an umbrella (=
a cover that protects from rain or sun).

ribverb [T]

INFML US /rɪb/ -bb-

rib verb [ T ] (JOKE)

to laugh at or joke about someone in a friendly way; tease:

The two leaders ribbed each other good-naturedly during the press conference.