rig

1 of 3

verb (1)

rigged; rigging

transitive verb

1
: to fit out with rigging
rig a ship
2
: clothe, dress
usually used with out
3
: to furnish with special gear : equip
4
a
: to put in condition or position for use : adjust, arrange
a car rigged for manual control
b
: construct
rig up a temporary shelter

rig

2 of 3

noun

1
: the distinctive shape, number, and arrangement of sails and masts of a ship
2
: equipage
especially : a carriage with its horse
3
4
: tackle, equipment, or machinery fitted for a specified purpose
an oil-drilling rig
5
: a tractor-trailer combination

rig

3 of 3

verb (2)

rigged; rigging

transitive verb

1
: to manipulate or control usually by deceptive or dishonest means
rig an election
2
: to fix in advance for a desired result
rig the contest

Examples of rig in a Sentence

Noun He drives a big rig. the rig of a schooner
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The smaller model requires only a heavy-duty pickup truck to transport, while the larger model necessitates a tractor truck rig. Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 Following the wireline data acquisition, the well will be completed, and the rig will be released and demobilised. Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Last week, the conductor was safely and successfully installed, utilizing a smaller rig (see Figure 1) that has since demobilized from site. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2024 This particular approach employs the rig of six Kinect Azure cameras instead of the Datta lab’s classic Xbox Kinect camera rigs. Popular Science, 10 Jan. 2024 Two large drilling rigs were in place Monday morning to begin drilling in the afternoon and subsequently place the steel beams that will serve as the foundation for the wall, Johnson said. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 The most common causes of injuries include fires, falls, fatigue, machinery malfunctions, and lack of safety culture on rigs. Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024 According to data from Bitcoin mining services company Luxor Technologies, in 2023, Ethiopia ranked fourth behind the USA, Hong Kong, and Asia as one of the top destinations for Bitcoin mining rigs. Abubakar Nur Khalil, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Just beyond the rig on this winter afternoon, trucks and cars continued streaming down State Road 198 in Hanford, separated from the construction site by white dividers. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Smartmatic is seeking billions of dollars in damages after the right-wing networks repeatedly gave airtime to the bogus claim that Smartmatic machines rigged the 2020 election against Donald Trump. Marshall Cohen, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 There has been no evidence that Tuesday’s primary was rigged. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Musk further argued Gemini’s discriminatory issues extend to Google search and reshared a claim from right-wing commentator Tim Pool claiming Google is rigging the 2024 presidential election in favor of left-wing candidates. Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 And two days before Slovakia’s parliamentary elections in September, a fake audio clip purported to show the leader of a pro-Western political party discussing how to rig the election. Kevin Collier, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 That first video referenced the conspiracy theory that the White House had somehow rigged the game in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs to create the perfect moment for Taylor Swift to endorse Biden’s campaign. Makena Kelly, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2024 His supporters then returned to the streets to accuse the military of rigging the results to deny Mr. Khan’s allies a majority and allow the generals’ favored party to form a government. Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Khan’s allies claim that Pakistani officials, shocked by the strong public support for the imprisoned ex-leader, slowed down vote counting and rigged the results — an accusation that the authorities have denied. Rick Noack, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Continue reading … 'PAY ATTENTION' – Joy Behar claims 'system is rigged' in lecture about checks and balances. Fox News, 1 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

probably back-formation from rigging

Verb (2)

rig, noun, a swindle

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rig was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near rig

Cite this Entry

“Rig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rig. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rig

1 of 3 verb
rigged; rigging
1
: to fit out (as a ship) with rigging
2
: clothe sense 1a, dress
usually used with out
3
a
: to furnish with gear : equip
b
: to set up usually for temporary use : construct
rig up a temporary shelter
rigger noun

rig

2 of 3 noun
1
: the shape, number, and arrangement of sails and masts of a ship that sets it apart from ships of other types
the rig of a schooner
2
: equipage sense 2
especially : a carriage with its horse
3
4
: tackle, equipment, or machinery fitted for a certain purpose
an oil-drilling rig

rig

3 of 3 verb
rigged; rigging
: to fix in advance so that the outcome will be known
rig an election
Etymology

Verb

Middle English riggen "to fit out a ship with rigging"

Verb

from earlier rig (noun) "a cheating trick," of unknown origin

More from Merriam-Webster on rig

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!