1(of fruit or grain) developed to the point of readiness for harvesting and eating:a ripe tomato
(of a cheese or wine) fully matured:a ripe Brie
(of a smell or flavour) rich, intense, or pungent:rich, ripe flavours emanate from this wine
2having arrived at the fitting stage or time for a particular action or purpose):land ripe for developmentthey felt that the time was ripe for a new approach
(ripe with) full of:a population ripe with discontent
3 [attributive] (of a person’s age) advanced:she lived to a ripe old age
4(of a female fish or insect) ready to lay eggs or spawn:ripe females will stop and spawn with one or more males
5 informal (of a person’s language) beyond the bounds of propriety; coarse:I think my language may have been a little ripe outside the church
