A ribbon is a long, narrow strip of fabric, often smooth and colorful, used for decoration or tying things together. You might see ribbons tied in bows on birthday presents, woven through someone's braided hair, or pinned to someone's jacket as an award. Ribbons can be made of silk, satin, velvet, or other materials, and they come in every color imaginable.

The word also describes anything long and narrow that resembles a strip of fabric. A ribbon of highway might stretch across the desert, looking thin and narrow from an airplane window. A ribbon of smoke might curl upward from a campfire. When a gymnast performs a floor routine with a long, flowing strip of fabric attached to a stick, that's called a ribbon routine.

In computing, a ribbon is the strip of icons and buttons at the top of programs like Microsoft Word, organizing tools into tabs like “Home,” “Insert,” and “View.” This design replaced traditional drop-down menus, putting all the commands where you can see them.

People also use ribbons as symbols: a yellow ribbon might represent support for soldiers, while a pink ribbon represents breast cancer awareness. When something is torn to ribbons, it's been ripped into long, narrow strips and destroyed.