The ribs or ribcage might represent: Breathing or something you associate with it (life, cycles, or ebb-and-flow).
Vulnerability or protection.
An enclosure or something that maintains your integrity (physical, emotional, or mental).
A support, or something that provides structure.
A pain in the ribs might represent someone or something you consider a “thorn in your side.” See also: Chest, Breathing, Lung, Food
[1]Dreams of a rib or rib cage denote the need for protection for your heart, feelings and emotions. Also, this dream may be showing you where you are using humor to keep people at bay as a defense to avoid pain and the possibility of rejection.
See Also: Adam& Eve.
[2]1. Suggests poverty and starvation, possibly spiritual (to see ribs).
2. Reverse: unexpected pleasures, happiness (to break a rib or ribs).
3. A feeling that someone is being deceptive (to have hurt or broken ribs).
[3]Any pain in, or injury to, your ribs in a dream is a warning that you are in danger of being cheated by being unwilling to recognize the trickster; brush the scales from your eyes before it’s too late.
[4]According to the Bible and Mohammed, this is the symbol for woman.
[5]A reminder of a man’s relationship to his wife, Gen. 2:22
[6]To dream of seeing ribs, denotes poverty and misery.
[7]Joking; see “laughter”
[8]