1
: an act or instance of stealing : theft
also
: a financial exploitation
The so-called deal turned out to be a rip-off.
2
: a usually cheap exploitive imitation
a rip-off of a designer bag
ripped off; ripping off; rips off
1
2
: to copy or imitate blatantly or unscrupulously
The film ripped off a better one made years ago.
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
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
On the surface, Çiftlik Bank—Turkish for Farm Bank—was little more than a FarmVille rip-off; the functionality for tending to digital crops and livestock was lifted more or less straight from their competitor.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
An excavator ripped off the facade and parts of the roof on Monday, exposing the stone shell below.
—Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
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Noun
With an appeal filed this week, Warner Bros TV is making another incision to stop the legal exhumation of The Pitt, and whether or not claims the Noah Wyle-starring Emmy-winning medical drama is a rip-off of ER will go to trial.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
On the surface, Çiftlik Bank—Turkish for Farm Bank—was little more than a FarmVille rip-off; the functionality for tending to digital crops and livestock was lifted more or less straight from their competitor.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Yet after an early Gophers score, the boys ripped off their shirts and waved them over their heads.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
An excavator ripped off the facade and parts of the roof on Monday, exposing the stone shell below.
—Emily Goodin, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 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 8 Nov. 2025.
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