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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rip-off
Barry Levitt, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
The enormity of the Minneapolis welfare rip-off is sparking a nationwide rebellion against welfare criminals and the politicians who tolerate them.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 18 Jan. 2026
Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Archer hit Vertical Aerospace with a patent infringement suit, claiming the British air taxi maker ripped off its Midnight aircraft.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Noun
But The Beauty is not a rip-off of The Substance.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 22 Jan. 2026
The enormity of the Minneapolis welfare rip-off is sparking a nationwide rebellion against welfare criminals and the politicians who tolerate them.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 18 Jan. 2026
Verb
Video shows roofs ripped off and residences surrounded by debris left by the blast.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026
Archer hit Vertical Aerospace with a patent infringement suit, claiming the British air taxi maker ripped off its Midnight aircraft.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rip-off
Noun
-
The value of copper is increasing, leading to a rise in thefts as criminals strip it from phone poles, streetlights, and electric vehicle chargers.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
4 June 2026
-
Garcia-Hernandez was arrested on charges of theft of an elder adult, obtaining money by false pretenses, and attempted grand theft, along with an out-of-county warrant.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Lewis, 26, has been tailing off since a precocious start to his major league career, and some (perhaps fairly) wonder if a pair of major knee injuries have robbed him of what should have been, as the kids say, his final form.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
29 May 2026
-
But reliability has robbed drivers in other races much closer to the flag.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Sukhmati described how her comrades would raid police stations to steal weapons.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Tovar also stole home in the fourth inning.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Greg de la Garza, Miami The Republican Party of Florida is cheating and getting away with it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
A lot else can happen when a man is going 978 games in a row without swiping any bases.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The outer display is a fluid experience, from tapping the lower-right corner of the screen to access notifications to swiping to open panels like my calendar, local weather, games, and apps.—
Kimberly Gedeon,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Attendees seemed keen to squeeze as much networking as possible out of the gala, often chatting with their associates and neighbors during speakers’ remarks.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
-
Fuel supplies squeezed Russian emergency services acknowledged Saturday that a fire had broken out at the oil depot in Krasnodar.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Whatever is plucked from the vegetable patch that day appears on the menu, accompanied by dangerously tasty sourdough, fermented using the appley waste from the cider production.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Decisive to their survival was the no-name midfielder Sabatini plucked out of Brazil.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Raised in a Hollywood household, with a TV writer dad and hitmaking songwriter sister, Todd skipped college, hustled on TikTok, signed to Columbia and toured with Omar Apollo.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Clarkson now is showing his value hustling for 50-50 balls while no longer being a liability on defense — a trait that’s followed him throughout his career.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rip-off. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
