BLUE RIBBON Definition & Meaning

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blue ribbon

[ bloo rib-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the highest award or distinction, as the first prize in a contest:
His entry at the state fair won a blue ribbon.
a blue ribbon worn as a badge of honor, especially by members of the Order of the Garter of the British knighthood.
(initial capital letters) Also British, Blue Ribband. (formerly) a prize awarded to an ocean liner making the fastest recorded trip across the Atlantic Ocean between Ambrose Lightship and Bishop Rock.
a badge used by some temperance organizations to indicate a pledge of abstinence from alcohol.

blue-ribbon

[ bloo-rib-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

of superior quality or prominence; first-rate; specially selected:
a blue-ribbon committee of fund-raisers.

blue ribbon

noun

(in Britain) a badge of blue silk worn by members of the Order of the Garter
a badge awarded as the first prize in a competition
a badge worn by a member of a temperance society

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of blue ribbon¹

First recorded in 1645–55

Origin of blue ribbon²

First recorded in 1925–30; adj. use of blue ribbon

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Supervisors said they were following the recommendations of a blue ribbon commission, which called in 2022 for the creation of a new county homelessness organization and the streamlining of LAHSA’s responsibilities.

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They point to the work of the blue ribbon commission and a string of highly critical audits as reasons for taking decisive action.

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"I went to the L.A. County Fair, and I won that blue ribbon," she remembers.

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So Joe Biden commissioned a blue ribbon panel, and he stuffed the result in a drawer back when Democrats had a trifecta in Washington and might have been able to do something about this.

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When Sandra Lee won a blue ribbon at the Los Angeles County Fair, her sister called to tell her the good news.

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