as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
the lightly ribbing tone tipped me off that this wasn't a serious reprimand
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in mocking
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in teasing
to make fun of in a good-natured way
ribbed him a bit about fumbling such an easy play
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ribbing
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
This also makes the references to certain King adaptation mainstays feel like deliberate ribbing.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
The ribbing kicked off Saturday with this tweet on X — seen 11 million times as of Sunday morning — from Joshua Bessex, a photojournalist for The Buffalo News.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2025
The material is 70 percent cotton with cozy ribbing and a bit of stretch.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ribbing
Noun
At a 10th anniversary screening at the 2011 New York Film Festival, Anderson and ensemble members Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray and Gwyneth Paltrow indulged in some good-natured ribbing of Hackman’s irascibility on the shoot.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for ribbing
Verb
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Seinfeld was clearly teasing, but sure enough, several headlines reported it as gospel with perhaps a mention three paragraphs in that it was intended to be humorous.—
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From teasing his retirement to becoming a minister and everything in between, here’s a look at the Hollywood star’s year of surprises.—
Verb
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Nile and Bernard seemed like best friends, always joking and very excited.—
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Not just the kind of vaudevillian two guys joking around with each other on stage, but even just as individual comedians.—
Adjective
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Always down to gossip and party, Redmond exudes Gemini's energy through his zesty and sarcastic attitude.—
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This is not just a sarcastic take but a practical one.—
Noun
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This mystically exacting wordplay is spell-binding—fitting for a record that steeps its themes of desperation and addiction in a heady brew of alchemy and witchcraft.—
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That being said, the games are rarely straightforward and often use wordplay, homophones and other techniques to make users think twice.—
Noun
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Their early short films were made on shoestring budgets, relying on humor and inventive storytelling.—
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The role sees Williams’s character balancing humor and tragedy up until her final moments.—
Noun
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Paxton and Cornyn have traded barbs back and forth for years, with the attorney general slamming Cornyn’s votes in favor of additional U.S. aid to Ukraine and bipartisan legislation on gun safety following the 2022 Uvalde school shooting.—
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The two men traded barbs for a few weeks afterward, but both appear to have moved on.—
Cite this Entry
“Ribbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ribbing. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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