Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

rip-off

play
noun \ ˈrip-ˌȯf \

Definition of rip-off

1 :an act or instance of stealing :theft; also :a financial exploitation
2 :a usually cheap exploitive imitation

See rip-off defined for English-language learners

See rip-off defined for kids

Explore M-W

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'
image536372841
Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

First Known Use of rip-off

1969

rip-off Synonyms

Synonyms
grab, heist, pinch, rip-off, snatching, swiping
Related Words
break-in, burglary, holdup, mugging, stickup

rip off

verb

Definition of rip off

transitive verb
1 a :rob; also :cheat, defraud
b :steal
2 :to copy or imitate blatantly or unscrupulously
3 :to perform, achieve, or score quickly or easily
  • ripped off 10 straight points

See rip off defined for kids

Examples of rip off in a Sentence

  1. the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer

  2. the thief ripped off some jewelry as soon as no one was looking

First Known Use of rip off

1967

rip off Synonyms

Synonyms
burglarize, burgle, knock off, knock over, rob, steal (from), take off [slang]
Related Words
ransack, rifle; despoil, loot, pillage, plunder, ravish, sack, spoil, strip; bleed, break in, cheat, chisel, cozen, defraud, exploit, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, pluck, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle; hold up, mug, roll, stick up
Near Antonyms
buy, purchase; bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present

RIP-OFF Defined for English Language Learners

rip-off

play
noun

Definition of rip-off for English Language Learners

  • : something that is too expensive : something that is not worth its price

  • : something that is too much like something made by someone else

Learn More about rip-off

  1. See words that rhyme with rip-off Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rip-off Nglish: Translation of rip-off for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up rip-off? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

shofar

play

a ram's-horn trumpet used in Judaism

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. otherwise "in other respects"

  2. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  3. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  4. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  5. allegory No spoilers!

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

rip-off

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: rip-off in a Sentence