ribs
ribs — noun
- ribssingular
- ribsesplural
1. a curved bone in a person's chest, connected to the spine at the back and the br
a curved bone in a person's chest, connected to the spine at the back and the breastbone at the front. Together the twelve pairs of ribs form a protective cage around the heart and lungs.
Chidi fell off his bike and cracked two ribs, so the doctor told him to rest for a month.
collocation: cracked/broken/fractured + rib(s)
The nurse gently pressed on Rohan's ribs to check if any were fractured after the accident.
countable: a rib / ribs (plural)
After falling from his bike, Selim felt a sharp pain in his ribs when he breathed deeply.
An X-ray showed that Iker's ribs were badly bruised but none of them had broken.
文法句型
plural: ribs
countable: a rib / one rib / two ribs
用法筆記
Frequently used in the plural ('ribs') when referring to the whole set, but countably singular ('a rib') when talking about one specific bone.
常見錯誤
2. meat containing one or more rib bones, taken from the rib area of animals such a
meat containing one or more rib bones, taken from the rib area of animals such as pigs, cows, or sheep, and often prepared by roasting, grilling, or barbecuing
Ezra ordered a full rack of barbecue ribs with sweet potato fries and coleslaw on the side.
collocation: rack of ribs / barbecue ribs
Tamar slow-cooked the pork ribs for four hours until the meat fell off the bones.
The butcher recommended the beef ribs for roasting because they had plenty of marbling.
Jisoo's family always eats lamb ribs with mint sauce during the spring festival dinner.
- spare ribs
a specific cut of pork ribs with less meat between the bones
文法句型
countable: a rib / ribs (meat portion)
用法筆記
Commonly modified by the type of animal: 'pork ribs', 'beef ribs', 'lamb ribs'. 'Spare ribs' is a fixed term for a specific cut of pork ribs.
常見錯誤
3. a curved piece of metal, wood, plastic, or other stiff material that forms part
a curved piece of metal, wood, plastic, or other stiff material that forms part of the supporting frame for an object such as an umbrella, a boat, a tent, or the roof of a building
Two ribs of the umbrella snapped when Anong tried to close it against the strong wind.
collocation: rib + of + [object] / snapped/broken rib
The canoe builder carefully sanded each wooden rib before fitting it into the frame.
Michael examined the broken rib of the tent frame and decided it could be repaired with tape.
The dome's metal ribs were designed to support the weight of the glass panels above.
文法句型
countable: a rib (support piece)
用法筆記
This sense draws an analogy with the shape and function of human ribs. The specific object (umbrella, boat, tent, roof) should be clear from context.
4. a knitting stitch made by alternating knit and purl stitches in a regular patter
a knitting stitch made by alternating knit and purl stitches in a regular pattern, producing raised vertical lines on the fabric. It is often used for the edges of sweaters, hats, and socks because it stretches well and holds its shape.
Manuela learned to knit a basic rib stitch for the cuffs of her first wool sweater.
collocation: rib stitch / knit a rib
Eleni knitted two inches of rib at the bottom of the sweater's back panel.
To make the hat fit snugly, Hao knitted the band in one-by-one rib.
Kofi finished the sleeve ribbing on his cardigan and began the body in plain stitch.
- ribbing
the more common term for this knitting pattern; 'rib' is the shortened form
文法句型
uncountable: rib / ribbing (stitch pattern)
用法筆記
Often called 'ribbing' rather than 'rib'. The type of rib is described by the number of stitches: 'one-by-one rib' (knit 1, purl 1), 'two-by-two rib' (knit 2, purl 2), etc.
5. a friendly comment that makes gentle fun of someone, intended to amuse rather th
a friendly comment that makes gentle fun of someone, intended to amuse rather than to hurt their feelings
Chidi gave his cousin a playful rib about her fear of spiders, which made everyone laugh.
collocation: give someone a rib / playful rib
The good-natured rib from his teammates about his dance moves made Rohan grin.
Beatriz gave Dario a friendly rib about his mismatched socks during the budget meeting.
Selim took the friendly ribs about his cooking disaster in good spirit and laughed along.
文法句型
countable: a rib (a teasing remark)
用法筆記
Usually used in the phrase 'give someone a rib' or 'take a rib'. The singular form ('a rib') is more common than the plural ('ribs') in this sense. Closely related to the verb sense (the verb 'to rib' someone).
常見錯誤
ribs — verb
- ribspresent simple I / you / we / they
- ribses3rd person singular
- ribsing-ing form
- ribsedpast simple
1. to make friendly jokes about someone or gently laugh at them, usually about some
to make friendly jokes about someone or gently laugh at them, usually about something they have said, done, or experienced, without intending to cause offense
Jisoo's friends ribbed her good-naturedly about always arriving late to their meet-ups.
pattern: rib + person + about + topic
The team ribbed Anong for wearing a brightly colored shirt to the formal company dinner.
Manuela smiled when her father ribbed her about the huge stack of books on her desk.
Hao's classmates ribbed him for mixing up the names of two famous scientists during a presentation.
Marta and Jiwoo rib each other about falling asleep during their chemistry final.
- tease
the most general term; can range from playful to slightly mean
- kid
very informal, purely lighthearted — 'I'm just kidding'
- poke fun at
slightly more deliberate or public than 'rib'
- praise
to express approval rather than amusement
- compliment
to say something nice rather than tease
文法句型
rib + person + about + topic
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'about' or 'for' + the topic of the teasing. The object is always a person or group of people — you rib someone, not a situation.
常見錯誤
2. to knit using alternating knit and purl stitches in a regular pattern, creating
to knit using alternating knit and purl stitches in a regular pattern, creating a stretchy fabric with raised vertical ridges that is commonly used for garment edges such as cuffs, collars, and hems
Kofi is learning to rib the cuffs of a sweater using a simple two-by-two stitch.
pattern: rib + [part of garment]
Nora ribbed for three inches before starting the body of her winter hat.
intransitive use: rib for [measurement]
Michael ribbed the collar of his handmade vest with a neat one-by-one pattern.
If you rib the bottom edge of a winter hat, it will fit more snugly on your head.
- knit ribbing
a more explicit phrase meaning the same thing
文法句型
rib + [garment/part of garment]
rib + [stitches]
用法筆記
Often interchangeable with the noun 'rib' in knitting contexts ('knit a rib' / 'rib the edge'). The verb is less common than the noun 'ribbing' or 'rib stitch'. Intransitive use specifies a measurement ('rib for two inches').