# ridge

/ˈɹɪdʒ/ (US) · /ɹˈɪdʒ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/ridge
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. mountain or hill

noun · CEFR B2

a long, narrow hilltop or mountain range.

For teachers: a long, narrow elevation of land, such as a chain of hills or the crest of a mountain range.

- We walked along the narrow ridge to get a better view of the valley below.
- The hikers followed the rocky ridge for several miles, carefully navigating the steep drops on either side of the mountain spine.

### 2. roof peak

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the highest horizontal line where two sides of a roof meet.

For teachers: the horizontal line formed by the junction of two sloping surfaces at the top of a roof.

- The workers climbed up to the ridge of the house to fix the broken tiles.
- The architect specified a reinforced ridge beam to support the weight of the heavy slate tiles across the expansive roof span.

### 3. raised strip or line

noun · CEFR B2

a raised line or strip on a surface, like on a finger or a piece of land.

For teachers: any extended protuberance or projecting line on a surface, whether biological, geological, or artificial.

- You can feel the small ridges on the surface of a coin.
- The forensic expert examined the unique ridges of the fingerprint left on the glass surface to identify the suspect.

### 4. weather

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a long area of high air pressure that usually brings good weather.

For teachers: an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure.

- A ridge of high pressure is moving in, so it should be sunny tomorrow.
- The meteorologist noted that a persistent ridge of high pressure was blocking the arrival of Atlantic storm fronts, leading to a prolonged dry spell.

### 5. to form into lines

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to make something into long, raised lines.

For teachers: to form or mark with ridges; often used in agricultural or geological contexts.

- The farmer used a machine to ridge the soil before planting the seeds.
- The heavy rains began to ridge the hillside, creating small channels where the water flowed down toward the stream.

## Examples

- The doctor felt the bony ridge along the patient's spine.
- The surgeon carefully followed the supraorbital ridge above the eye to avoid damaging the underlying nerves.
- Detailed imaging revealed a slight thickening along the alveolar ridge, suggesting that the patient had been grinding their teeth for several years.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.