rip-off

1 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of stealing : theft
also : a financial exploitation
2
: a usually cheap exploitive imitation

rip off

2 of 2

verb

ripped off; ripping off; rips off

transitive verb

1
a
: rob
also : cheat, defraud
b
: steal
2
: to copy or imitate blatantly or unscrupulously
3
: to perform, achieve, or score quickly or easily
ripped off 10 straight points

Examples of rip-off in a Sentence

Noun a daring burglary of the art museum that resulted in one of the greatest rip-offs in history Verb the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer the thief ripped off some jewelry as soon as no one was looking
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Fede Álvarez understands that there’s a thin line between an homage, a follow-up and a rip-off. Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 15 Aug. 2024 Latest from Michael Hiltzik Column: Federal regulators step up their campaign against predatory payday lenders and their rip-offs Column: The CrowdStrike meltdown reminds us that the hacking problem doesn’t come only from outside Column: Who elected Elon Musk our arbiter of social norms? Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
Verb
Milton also ripped off a portion the roof of a condominium in the area, with satellite images taken over that section of the village showing debris scattered on the ground and spread across the area around it. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2024 The roof was ripped off Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays and a large crane collapsed and smashed into the side of a building in downtown St. Petersburg. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rip-off 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rip-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1969, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1967, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of rip-off was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near rip-off

Cite this Entry

“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip-off. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

rip-off

1 of 2 noun
ˈrip-ˌȯf
: an act or an instance of ripping off

rip off

2 of 2 verb
ˈrip-ˈȯf
1
: rob sense 1a
also : to cheat someone : defraud
2

More from Merriam-Webster on rip-off

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