rip-off

1 of 2

noun

ˈrip-ˌȯf 

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

rip off

2 of 2

verb

ripped off; ripping off; rips off

transitive verb

1

a

: rob

also : cheat, defraud

ripped off some unsuspecting tourists

b

: steal

sneakily ripping off store merchandise

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

Synonyms of rip-off

Noun

• theft

Verb

• rob
• steal (from)

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

Noun

The eighth rip-off of ‘Friday the 13th’ that went straight to video in 1987 or whatever. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

And a quick search showed that the Cambridge Analytica story is, in fact, a clear rip-off of a recent story by 404 Media journalist Matthew Gault. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 30 July 2026

Verb

This isn’t the first time Musk has been accused of ripping off the smaller companies that helped build his business empire. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026

The Sox lost to the Nationals the day after the text was sent, then ripped off 15 in a row, sweeping the Angels, White Sox, and Mets. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1966, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for rip-off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

rip-off

1 of 2 noun

ˈrip-ˌȯf

: an act or an instance of ripping off

rip off

2 of 2 verb

ˈrip-ˈȯf

1

: rob sense 1a

also : to cheat someone : defraud

2

: steal entry 1 sense 2a