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
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Despite being in serious pain earlier in the game, Mahomes ripped off a 26-yard run that set up the game winning field goal against the Eagles.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 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
Sharon is keeping an eye on the guy who got his diamonds ripped off in Act One, because her bosses don’t want to pay out.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
Despite being in serious pain earlier in the game, Mahomes ripped off a 26-yard run that set up the game winning field goal against the Eagles.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rip-off
Noun
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The Bureau of Engineering selected Tetra Tech, a global engineering firm, to fortify and relight the stretch of road that connects downtown Los Angeles to Boyle Heights, which has essentially gone dark due to the amount of copper theft plaguing the area.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Auborn pleaded guilty in December to four counts of murder, one count of felonious assault and one count of theft.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu revealed she was physically assaulted, robbed and received death threats at Stanford University after her 2019 decision to represent China instead of the United States.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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But in the case of a recent meetup under those circumstances, the purchaser was robbed of their cash.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With a 125-122 lead and the ball in the closing seconds, James threw a dangerous cross-court pass intended for Doncic that Nicolas Batum stole.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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The action comes as a trial is approaching in a federal corruption case in which several former union executives — among them ousted International President Newton Jones — are charged with allegedly scheming to steal $20 million in union funds.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
20 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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Proponents said the change will help businesses better absorb the transaction fees that credit card companies are allowed to charge each time someone swipes their credit card.—
Barbara Hoberock,
Oklahoman,
19 Feb. 2026
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The person appears to heckle and point his camera phone at Hoiberg, who swiped at the phone with his right hand.—
Eric Olson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Its basic ingredients include tequila, lime juice (ideally freshly squeezed), orange liqueur like triple sec, and usually salt on the rim.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
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Many are no doubt operating with the salary-cap space required to squeeze an extension for McDuffie into their budget.—
Sam McDowell
February 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 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 23 Feb. 2026.
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