A ceremonial or formal opening of a building, road, etc., originally and especially by means of cutting a ribbon stretched across the entrance; frequently attributive, especially in "ribbon-cutting ceremony".
Origin
1920s; earliest use found in The Chicago Sunday Tribune.
Definition of ribbon cutting in US English:
ribbon cutting
noun
US
A ceremonial or formal opening of a building, road, etc., originally and especially by means of cutting a ribbon stretched across the entrance; frequently attributive, especially in "ribbon-cutting ceremony".
Origin
1920s; earliest use found in The Chicago Sunday Tribune.