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
Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 3 July 2025
The wind ripped off the roof, and the second-floor bricks crumbled, exposing much of the building to the elements.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 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
Since his presidential campaign last year, Trump has leaned into the idea that other countries have been ripping off the U.S. and that tariff rates will be set based on the trade deficit.
—Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 3 July 2025
The wind ripped off the roof, and the second-floor bricks crumbled, exposing much of the building to the elements.
—Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 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 11 Jul. 2025.
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