1
: manipulated or controlled by deceptive or dishonest means
a rigged contest
Attempts to pass a rigged repatriation bill are exhibit A of what enrages Americans about Washington and Wall Street.—
Brent Budowsky
Brent BudowskyHis reluctance stemmed not from a lack of mercy but from his sense that pardons were a rigged game, tilted in favor of offenders with political connections.—Massimo Calabresi et al.
Massimo Calabresi et al.2
: fitted out with rigging of a specified kind
The Cornish lugger was a small, two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged boat.—Mark Kurlansky
Mark KurlanskyWhen she enters service in the fall of 1999, only the second five-masted full rigged ship ever built, she will bear the moniker of "the largest true sailing ship afloat today."—Kevin Haydon
Kevin HaydonExamples of rigged in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As a rigged trial unfolds, the narrative explores themes of family secrets, betrayal and manipulation within a city hungry for punishment.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Jan. 2026
The game is feeling progressively more rigged right now.
—Chris Gethard, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
There was a similar pattern on the question of the potential for rigged games, with 72% of graduate-degree holders expressing such worries, compared to 67% of college graduates, 63% of those with some college experience, and 57% with no more than a high school education.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
Opposition activists who treat a Trump dictatorship as a fait accompli and repression and rigged elections as inevitable risk creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rigged
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Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Jan. 2026
The game is feeling progressively more rigged right now.
—Chris Gethard, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
There was a similar pattern on the question of the potential for rigged games, with 72% of graduate-degree holders expressing such worries, compared to 67% of college graduates, 63% of those with some college experience, and 57% with no more than a high school education.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 19 Dec. 2025
Opposition activists who treat a Trump dictatorship as a fait accompli and repression and rigged elections as inevitable risk creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
—Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rigged
Cite this Entry
“Rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigged. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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