rigging

noun

rig·​ging ˈri-giŋ 

-gən

1

a

: lines and chains used aboard a ship especially in working sail and supporting masts and spars

b

: a similar network (as in theater scenery) used for support and manipulation

2

: clothing

Synonyms

• clothing
• clothes
• attire
• dress
• garments
• apparel

Examples of rigging in a Sentence

They checked the rigging before they set sail.

even at the Ivies they dress in the standard rigging of the college student: T-shirt and jeans

Recent Examples on the Web

On April 23, while adjusting a grip mechanism beneath a car during a test run, the nearly 400-pound device slipped from its rigging. —Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025

In 2011, mass protests broke out in response to parliamentary elections that showed signs of vote-rigging. —Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025

The indictment doesn’t include any allegations of voter fraud or election-rigging against Smartmatic. —Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025

Two new lawsuits allege continued promotion irregularities at the MSP Flint post, where an exam-rigging scandal ended several careers. —Paul Egan, Freep.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ragging, riggyng fitting out of a ship

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for rigging

• digging
• jigging

Kids Definition

rigging

noun

rig·​ging ˈrig-iŋ 

-ən

1

: the ropes and chains used aboard a ship especially in working sail and supporting masts and spars

2

: equipment for supporting and working something (as theater scenery)