ribs

[ɹɪbz]

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rib

A rib is a part of your body that's like a curved piece of bone. It helps protect your internal organs.

In everyday life, we use "rib" to talk about not just our body parts but also sounds and music. If someone says their side hurts because of a bump or accident, they mean one of these bone pieces is causing them pain. But if you ask for more information, like what kind of music do you like, the answer might be "I love jazz and blues - I find the way the instruments lie in different frequencies really captivating". Here, "lie" doesn't mean tell a false story but rather refers to how sounds exist on a scale from low to high.

Definitions

noun

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
A part or piece, similar to a rib, and serving to shape or support something
A cut of meat enclosing one or more rib bones
Any of several curved members attached to a ship's keel and extending upward and outward to form the framework of the hull
Any of several transverse pieces that provide an aircraft wing with shape and strength
A long, narrow, usually arched member projecting from the surface of a structure, especially such a member separating the webs of a vault
A raised ridge in knitted material or in cloth
The main, or any of the prominent veins of a leaf
A teasing joke
A single strand of hair.
A stalk of celery.
(archaic, literary, humorous) A wife or woman.

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verb

To shape, support, or provide something with a rib or ribs.
To tease or make fun of someone in a good-natured way.
Example: He always gets ribbed for his outrageous shirts.
To enclose, as if with ribs, and protect; to shut in.
To leave strips of undisturbed ground between the furrows in ploughing (land).

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