rib
rib — noun
1. each of the long, curved bones that wrap around your upper body, creating a prot
each of the long, curved bones that wrap around your upper body, creating a protective cage for the heart and lungs.
Alessia broke two ribs when she fell off her bicycle and landed hard on the pavement.
collocation: break a rib / broken rib
The doctor said the cracked rib would heal within six weeks if she avoided heavy lifting.
collocation: cracked rib / broken rib
Hiro felt a sharp pain in his ribs each time he coughed or took a deep breath.
The rugby player wore a padded vest under his shirt to protect his ribs from hard tackles.
The emergency room X-ray showed that Shanti's ribs were intact despite the car accident.
文法句型
plural: ribs
用法筆記
Subject is typically a person or animal; frequently occurs in phrases like 'broken rib' or 'cracked rib' in medical contexts. 'Rib' already means the bone, so 'rib bone' is redundant.
常見錯誤
2. meat taken from the rib section of an animal, often sold with the bone still in
meat taken from the rib section of an animal, often sold with the bone still in and cooked as a dish.
Minh ordered a rack of ribs with barbecue sauce at the new smokehouse near campus.
collocation: rack of ribs
Manuela slowly cooked the ribs until the meat fell off the bones.
Stefan's favourite Sunday dish is pork ribs slow-cooked with honey and served with coleslaw.
The barbecue restaurant near the station serves tender beef ribs every Friday night.
Grilled lamb ribs seasoned with cumin are a popular street food in this market.
文法句型
rack of ribs
用法筆記
Often used in the plural ('ribs') as a countable noun for individual pieces, or in the phrase 'rack of ribs' for a connected set. 'Prime rib' refers to a specific cut of beef from the rib section.
常見錯誤
3. a curved piece that helps give shape and strength to a ship, roof, umbrella, or
a curved piece that helps give shape and strength to a ship, roof, umbrella, or aircraft wing.
The boat's wooden ribs were weakened by years of salty water.
collocation: rib of a boat
Two metal ribs of the umbrella snapped in the strong wind.
The architect designed curved steel ribs to support the glass roof.
Hamza inspected the wooden ribs of the old fishing boat to check for any rotten planks.
The ribs of the airplane wing give it strength during flight.
文法句型
rib of [structure]
用法筆記
Frequently passive in construction contexts ('the frame is ribbed with steel'). The term is used across shipbuilding, architecture, and aeronautics. Objects are typically man-made structures.
4. a stretchy pattern in knitting made by alternating two different stitches to cre
a stretchy pattern in knitting made by alternating two different stitches to create raised vertical lines, often used on cuffs and edges.
Anna learned to knit a rib pattern on her first scarf to make the edges stretchy and neat.
collocation: knit a rib pattern
The rib at the bottom of the sweater kept its shape well even after many washes.
Élise used a 2-by-2 rib for the cuffs of the gloves she was making.
Jabari prefers knitting hat brims in rib because the fabric stretches.
- ribbing
the same concept, often used interchangeably; 'ribbing' can also refer to the action of knitting ribs
- rib stitch
the specific stitch technique that creates the rib pattern
- stockinette stitch
a flat, smooth pattern without the raised vertical lines of rib
文法句型
rib stitch
knit in rib
用法筆記
Common in knitting instructions as 'rib stitch' or 'ribbing'. The '2-by-2 rib' means knit 2, purl 2 repeated. Often used for edges (cuffs, necklines, hems) because the fabric is elastic and lies flat.
常見錯誤
5. a playful or slightly critical comment made about someone in a way that is meant
a playful or slightly critical comment made about someone in a way that is meant to be funny, not unkind.
Maeve took the rib about her French accent in good humour.
Anthony's friends threw a few gentle ribs his way during dinner.
collocation: gentle rib / good-natured rib
The football team's manager was used to the constant good-natured ribs from his players.
Meera gave her a playful rib about his love for terrible movies.
用法筆記
Typically informal and used in British English. Frequently appears in phrases like 'a gentle rib' or 'good-natured rib'. Less common than the verb sense 'to rib someone'. Often in plural ('ribs').
rib — verb
1. to make friendly jokes about someone, especially by pointing out something funny
to make friendly jokes about someone, especially by pointing out something funny about them in a way that is not meant to hurt their feelings.
Meera's colleagues ribbed her about her new haircut all morning.
pattern: rib + person + about + topic
Christopher ribbed his brother for always losing his keys.
The two friends ribbed each other constantly, but never with any real anger.
Anna's classmates ribbed her gently about her terrible sense of direction.
Jabari got ribbed by his teammates after missing the easy goal.
文法句型
rib + person + about + topic
用法筆記
Always transitive — the person being teased must be named as the direct object. Common patterns: 'rib someone about something' or 'rib someone for doing something'. Frequently passive ('get ribbed' / 'was ribbed'). The tone is always friendly; for mean or cruel teasing, use 'mock' or 'ridicule' instead.
常見錯誤
2. to knit using a stitch pattern that produces raised vertical lines, by alternati
to knit using a stitch pattern that produces raised vertical lines, by alternating between plain and reverse stitches.
Shanti showed the beginners how to rib the cuffs of the sweater.
pattern: rib + object (cuffs / edge)
The pattern says to rib the first ten rows before the body of the hat.
Minh practiced ribbing evenly so the edge of the hat would lie flat and stretch properly.
Before casting off, you should rib the last six rows for a neat edge.
- work in rib
a longer phrasal alternative used in knitting patterns ('work in rib for 10 rows')
文法句型
rib + number + rows
rib in pattern
用法筆記
Mostly used in knitting instructions and patterns. Can be used transitively ('rib the cuffs') or intransitively ('rib for 10 rows'). The noun 'ribbing' is more common than the verb in everyday speech.