red ribbon

noun

1. a badge, banner, rosette, or the like made of red-colored ribbon or other material and used to signify the achievement of second place, as in a contest.

Word History and Origins

Origin of red ribbon¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

But now she has a magnificent decoration with a bright red ribbon to replace it.

From Seattle Times

Police held back anti-government demonstrators as Netanyahu took the maiden ride on the "Red Line," but the sounds of protesters blowing horns and chanting were heard loudly as he stepped out of a carriage to cut a red ribbon during the inauguration ceremony at the northern Petah Tikva terminus.

From Reuters

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Corcoran said she was aware the drag ban had been proposed, but soon “realized it was going to impact me as a teacher, specifically with dressing up for school days or how I wanted to run a classroom or celebrate for homecoming or Red Ribbon Week,” a drug prevention campaign.

From Washington Times

On the day of the Bern show, he told Mr. Solomon: “I invited all my friends to the forest, and we tied a red ribbon between two trees. At exactly noon, when we knew the exhibition was opening in the Kunsthalle, we cut the ribbon and drank a bottle of champagne. It was a very bittersweet moment, that this was happening but that I could never be there.”

From New York Times

And yet there is always something that lifts her look just above the pedestrian: a pair of playful pink flower earrings, or a wedge espadrille, or a red ribbon tied around the waist of a printed dress.

From Washington Post