RIBBON

[noun] - a long narrow strip of material used to tie things together or as a decorationMy daughter wears a ribbon in her hair. [C]She tied a yellow ribbon round her hat. [C]He tied up the present with ribbon. [U](figurative) A narrow ribbon (= strip) of road stretched ahead of us across the desert. [C]A ribbon is also a small piece of coloured material given to someone in the armed forces to show appreciation for their brave actions.(specialized) A ribbon is also the narrow strip of material that contains the ink for a typewriter.My typewriter needs a new ribbon.If something is in ribbons, it is torn into narrow strips.Her coat was in ribbons.His shirt hung in tattered ribbons about him.If something is cut/torn into ribbons, it is cut or torn many times and is badly damaged.Our new kitten has torn the living room carpet into ribbons.(figurative) The attacking soldiers were cut to ribbons (= killed) by machine-gun fire.(UK and ANZ) Ribbon development happens when long rows of buildings are built along main roads leading out of towns.Ribbon development was common in the 1920s and 1930s.