rip

1 of 5

verb

ripped; ripping

transitive verb

1
a
: to tear or split apart or open
b
: to saw or split (wood) with the grain
2
: to slash or slit with or as if with a sharp blade
3
: to hit sharply
ripped a double to left field
4
: to utter violently : spit out
ripped out an oath
5

intransitive verb

1
: to become ripped : rend
2
: to rush headlong
ripped past second base

rip

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a rent made by ripping : tear
2

rip

3 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a body of water made rough by the meeting of opposing tides, currents, or winds
2
: a current of water roughened by passing over an irregular bottom
3

rip

4 of 5

noun (3)

: a dissolute person : libertine
1
[Latin requiescat in pace] may he rest in peace, may she rest in peace
2
[Latin requiescant in pace] may they rest in peace
Phrases
rip into
: to tear into : attack
Choose the Right Synonym for rip

tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive mean to separate forcibly.

tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

split implies a cutting or breaking apart in a continuous, straight, and usually lengthwise direction or in the direction of grain or layers.

split logs for firewood

cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

Examples of rip in a Sentence

Verb She ripped the fabric in half. He ripped open the package. The dog ripped the pillow to shreds. The force of the explosion ripped a hole in the wall. Her coat ripped when it caught on the doorknob. I ripped the poster off the wall. The sink had been ripped from the wall. He ripped the page out of the magazine. She ripped off her mask. He ripped the letter from my hands. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Parts of the massive plant's roofs were ripped open and pallets of medicine tossed around when the tornado touched down on July 19. CBS News, 25 Sep. 2023 Walls were ripped away showing contents of various rooms of the house crushed. Celeste McCauley, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2023 Nearly every print has been ripped down, the vandals looking straight into the lens. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023 The very fabric of America was tearing, like the curtain in the Temple ripped asunder when Christ exhaled his last breath. Bob Guccione Jr, Spin, 20 Sep. 2023 How about Robin Roberts helping to solve a mystery ripped from the headlines? Brian Steinberg, Variety, 19 Sep. 2023 But just because Marcos keeps all his body parts doesn’t mean that something fundamental hasn’t been ripped away from him—or any of the other thousands of migrant children who come to the U.S. and work dangerous overnight jobs in hopes of helping their families. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 19 Sep. 2023 Sweeney practically transformed into prom queen for the night, rocking va-va-voluminous disco curls and a bright pink, puff-sleeved minidress that looks like it was ripped straight from the set of 16 Candles. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 18 Sep. 2023 Parsons had stripped the ball from running back Dalvin Cook, literally ripping the football from the running back’s arms at the Jets’ 37-yard line. Kristi Scales, Dallas News, 18 Sep. 2023
Noun
Make sure all windows and doors have screens and are free of rips, tears or holes. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 24 Aug. 2023 Designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes incorporated safety pins, rips, and other elements that tapped into Mr. Reid’s vision. Brian Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023 Designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes incorporated safety pins, rips and other elements that tapped into Mr. Reid’s vision. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2023 The lights are low enough to hide flaws like duct tape covering rips in the seating. Marina Johnson, Detroit Free Press, 5 July 2023 The steel framework ensures the durability and strength of this two-seater while the strong polyester fabric resists rips from pet claws, keeping your chair pristine for years to come. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 19 July 2023 After 100 miles of use, there were no rips in the seams or gauges in the soles from sharp rocks. Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2023 The resulting rip or crosscut is table saw-accurate. Alex Rennie, Popular Mechanics, 26 June 2023 Rizzo wore black jeans with small rips in the knee. Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rip.' 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

Middle English rippen, from or akin to Middle Dutch reppen, rippen to pull, jerk

Noun (2)

perhaps from rip entry 2

Noun (3)

perhaps by shortening & alteration from reprobate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (3)

1781, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near rip

Cite this Entry

“Rip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

rip

1 of 4 verb
ripped; ripping
1
: to tear, cut apart, or open
2
: to slash or slit with or as if with a sharp blade
3
: to go with a rush
ripper noun

rip

2 of 4 noun
: a torn place : tear

rip

3 of 4 noun
: a body of water made rough by the meeting of opposing currents or by passing over a rough bottom

rip

4 of 4 noun
: a person who acts wild or gets into trouble
Etymology

Noun

probably a shortened and altered form of reprobate (noun)

More from Merriam-Webster on rip

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