1
as in to rob
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to steal
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
the thief ripped off some jewelry as soon as no one was looking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
an investigation revealed that a whole slew of suppliers had been ripping off the defense department
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rip-off
Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Enter Valentine's Day, a generic, cookie-cutter rip-off filled to the brim with A-list stars and Oscar winners.
—Janey Tracey, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
TrumpRx does make a compelling case that the president has mounted an extraordinary effort to stop pharmaceutical companies from ripping off Americans.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Noun
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
Enter Valentine's Day, a generic, cookie-cutter rip-off filled to the brim with A-list stars and Oscar winners.
—Janey Tracey, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
After retaining his parallel giant slalom crown in Livigno on Sunday, the 40-year-old celebrated by ripping off his top, baring his chest to the frenzied crowd, before flexing his muscles and dropping facedown on the snow.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
TrumpRx does make a compelling case that the president has mounted an extraordinary effort to stop pharmaceutical companies from ripping off Americans.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rip-off
Noun
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Owen Masters, 42, of West Bend, is facing two felony theft by contractor counts with an amount between $2,500 and $5,000 and a third felony count with an amount between $10,000 and $100,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.—
Erik S. Hanley,
jsonline.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Reports of catalytic converter and even taillight thefts are nothing new.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Federal officials said Wright and others robbed at least five victims in Windsor and Bloomfield between July and November 2020.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
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And then there was France’s Julia Simon winning a gold medal four months after being convicted of robbing her teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet — who placed 80th (just imagine a teammate racking up $2,300 in charges on your credit card, then beating you to the podium).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Expect mild redness and a sandpaper-like texture for several days; small sacrifices for a complexion that steals the spotlight.—
Elycia Rubin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Her worries grow when a group of badgers takes over the Rabbit School and steals the Egg.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Educational institutions signed contracts with AI detection companies such as GPTZero, ZeroGPT and Turnitin to deter students from cheating and adopted AI policies.—
Liz Shulman,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, our friends to the North seem to be in need of a timeout after cheating allegations.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Her life’s work was stolen early Monday when thieves swiped a shipping box containing many of her puppets from outside her Beachwood Canyon apartment.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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The fifth-year senior also blocked five shots and swiped four steals.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But, squeezed by the cost of things from rent to beef, others are shaking up their habit.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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Ag is being squeezed by foreign competition, rising costs, and weak leadership in Austin.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pet vacuums, for example, have bristles and brush rolls that pluck and pull hair up from carpets.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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The Angel Hold Hair Styling Cream gives expensive-looking waves and smooth, frizz-free hair that looks like you just got plucked up from a Greek vacation.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yet the Bulls haven’t showed much urgency in trying to hustle either player back into the rotation until after this weekend’s hiatus.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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His attacker, the man in black, was hustled off the stage.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rip-off. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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