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
Synonyms
Examples of rip-off in a Sentence
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
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Enter Valentine’s Day, a generic, cookie-cutter rip-off filled to the brim with A-list stars and Oscar winners.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024
The Pooh slasher film took home trophies for worst film, worst director, worst screenplay, worst screen couple and worst remake, rip-off or sequel.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024
The list of authors affected is long, and the rip-offs have blossomed in variety.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Does Diddy's blatant Batman rip-off violate SAG-AFTRA's moratorium on franchise costumes for union members?
—EW.com, 1 Nov. 2023
She was convinced that the pristine shoes donated to her nonprofit were rip-offs.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023
In most cases, 3D was a rip-off — a carny-barker way for studios to jack up ticket prices.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
The emphasis on political identity — Larson’s RBF, Parris’s anger, and Vellani’s naïveté — recalls the multiracial multiverse gamesmanship in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which was also a Hollywood rip-off of Johnnie To’s female fighters in the Hong Kong film The Heroic Trio.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023
Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
One ripped off Manrique’s necklace, grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
The opening evokes a Renaissance fair come to life, and when a jarring act of violence leaves a woman’s face literally ripped off, it’s embedded into the eyeline in a way that’s difficult to shake.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Daniel Shapiro, senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Red Points, a firm that helps brands detect counterfeits of their products online, says that almost any item can now be quickly copied, and smaller companies are increasingly seeing their designs get ripped off.
—Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
One person tried to rip off the vehicle’s license plate, officials said.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
But the Wildcats found their groove and ripped off 20 wins in their next 22 games.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Checking bank accounts, tax records Even though the Miami bling is what gives the PPP loan schemers a bad name, investigators say that’s not how they usually get caught for ripping off the government program.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
But the midlevel kids would be ripped off and lured into terrible contracts with boosters.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Noun
This car—which appears in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League—feels like a cheap rip-off with its garish armor and exposed machine guns.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024
Enter Valentine’s Day, a generic, cookie-cutter rip-off filled to the brim with A-list stars and Oscar winners.
—Janey Tracey, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024
The Pooh slasher film took home trophies for worst film, worst director, worst screenplay, worst screen couple and worst remake, rip-off or sequel.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024
The list of authors affected is long, and the rip-offs have blossomed in variety.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Does Diddy's blatant Batman rip-off violate SAG-AFTRA's moratorium on franchise costumes for union members?
—EW.com, 1 Nov. 2023
She was convinced that the pristine shoes donated to her nonprofit were rip-offs.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023
In most cases, 3D was a rip-off — a carny-barker way for studios to jack up ticket prices.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
The emphasis on political identity — Larson’s RBF, Parris’s anger, and Vellani’s naïveté — recalls the multiracial multiverse gamesmanship in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which was also a Hollywood rip-off of Johnnie To’s female fighters in the Hong Kong film The Heroic Trio.
—Armond White, National Review, 22 Nov. 2023
Verb
But even after that defeat, Golden State ripped off three straight wins to once again have the inside track at the eighth seed.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
One ripped off Manrique’s necklace, grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
The opening evokes a Renaissance fair come to life, and when a jarring act of violence leaves a woman’s face literally ripped off, it’s embedded into the eyeline in a way that’s difficult to shake.
—William Earl, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Daniel Shapiro, senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Red Points, a firm that helps brands detect counterfeits of their products online, says that almost any item can now be quickly copied, and smaller companies are increasingly seeing their designs get ripped off.
—Louise Matsakis, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
One person tried to rip off the vehicle’s license plate, officials said.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
But the Wildcats found their groove and ripped off 20 wins in their next 22 games.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Checking bank accounts, tax records Even though the Miami bling is what gives the PPP loan schemers a bad name, investigators say that’s not how they usually get caught for ripping off the government program.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
But the midlevel kids would be ripped off and lured into terrible contracts with boosters.
—Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rip-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rip-off
Cite this Entry
“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip-off. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share