1
: an act or instance of stealing : theft
also
: a financial exploitation
2
: a usually cheap exploitive imitation
ripped off; ripping off; rips off
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
Rich Juzwiak, Time, 25 June 2025
Great White Year: 1981 Director: Enzo G. Castellari Runtime: 1h 28m
Few Jaws rip-offs are quite as bald-faced in their theft as Great White, an Italian production directed by Enzo G. Castellari.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 June 2025
Susan Young, People.com, 25 June 2025
More to Read March 10, 2025 Hollywood writers say AI is ripping off their work.
—Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
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Noun
Bachelor rip-offs like early Bravo series Boy Meets Boy and Logo’s Finding Prince Charming have, predictably, focused on men, as has Netflix’s Japanese dating show The Boyfriend.
—Rich Juzwiak, Time, 25 June 2025
Great White Year: 1981 Director: Enzo G. Castellari Runtime: 1h 28m
Few Jaws rip-offs are quite as bald-faced in their theft as Great White, an Italian production directed by Enzo G. Castellari.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 June 2025
Verb
Bailey's older brother, Brandon, who was 6, later told him how their mom, Frances, draped her arm around them as the aircraft’s tail section ripped off — ejecting their bank of seats as the plane slid to a stop, upside-down.
—Susan Young, People.com, 25 June 2025
More to Read March 10, 2025 Hollywood writers say AI is ripping off their work.
—Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Cite this Entry
“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip-off. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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