ribbing
ribbing Lexical Profile
ribbing Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Good-natured teasing, banter, or playful ridicule.
"He took a lot of friendly ribbing from his coworkers after wearing mismatched shoes to the office."
A pattern of raised ridges in knitted or woven fabric, often used at the cuffs, neck, or waist of a garment to provide elasticity.
"The sweater features thick elastic ribbing along the cuffs and hemline to keep out the cold wind."
An arrangement or system of supporting ribs, ridges, or structural members, such as in a boat hull, aircraft wing, or vaulted ceiling.
"The carpenter carefully inspected the wooden ribbing inside the hull of the vintage sailboat."
• Rhymes for ribbing
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from the noun and verb 'rib' (from Old English 'ribb') plus the suffix '-ing'. The informal sense of good-natured teasing emerged in American English in the early 20th century, likely from the image of playfully poking someone in the ribs.