ribbon

The word “ribbon” means a narrow strip of fabric, often decorative, used for tying, trimming, or as an award. In plain terms, a narrow strip of decorative material, or to streak/decorate something the way a ribbon would.

“Ribbon” is pronounced RIH-buhn (/ˈɹɪbən/ in IPA).

Here is “ribbon” used in a sentence: “She tied her hair back with a red ribbon.”

Depending on how it is used, “ribbon” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “ribbon” comes from Old French. From Middle English riban, borrowed from Old French riban/ruban, likely ultimately from a Germanic word related to "band.".

“Ribbon” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Ribbon” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a narrow strip of fabric, often decorative, used for tying, trimming, or as an award.

A ribbon is simply the narrow strip of fabric itself, used for tying, trimming, or as an award. A bow is a decorative knot or loop shape formed by tying a ribbon, so a bow is made from a ribbon rather than being a separate material.

As a verb, "ribbon" means to decorate something with ribbon or to mark it with long thin streaks, for example describing clouds that ribbon across the sky. This verb use is less common than the noun and often appears in descriptive or literary writing.

A blue ribbon is a ribbon given as an award, typically for first place in a competition or contest. The phrase comes directly from the sense of a ribbon used as a prize or mark of distinction.