/ raɪp; NAmE / adjective ( riper , rip·est )
1.
( of fruit or crops ) fully grown and ready to be eaten
OPP unripe
2.
( of cheese or wine ) having a flavour that has fully developed
SYN mature
3.
( of a smell ) strong and unpleasant
4.
ripe (for sth) ready or suitable for sth to happen :
This land is ripe for development.
The conditions were ripe for social change.
Reforms were promised when the time was ripe .
► ripe·ness noun [ U ]
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IDIOMS
- a / the ripe old age (of ... )
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English rīpe , of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch rijp and German reif .