rigged

adjective

ˈrigd 

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

His 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.

2

: fitted out with rigging of a specified kind

The Cornish lugger was a small, two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged boat.

—Mark Kurlansky

When 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

Examples of rigged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last week, the US Justice Department published an indictment involving NBA stars and members of the mob for allegedly running a network of rigged gambling games. —Lauren Goode, Wired News, 31 Oct. 2025

Maduro is in his twelfth year as president after what international observers say was a rigged 2024 vote. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025

In the middle of a game in Las Vegas in 2019, Wei and other defendants realized Billups was winning too many improbable hands — thanks to the rigged shuffling machine. —Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025

Because college football will always be a rigged deck, even this measure favors the Big Ten and the SEC. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1500, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing rigged

• jerry-rigged
• square-rigged

Rhymes for rigged

• reneged
• digged