1
as in tearing
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the dog ripped the sleeve of my shirt by grabbing it with his teeth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in slicing
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)
you can see where someone ripped the painting with a penknife
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rushing
to proceed or move quickly
the car went ripping down the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in yanking
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
rip a sheet off the pad of paper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ripping
Greg knows Elizabeth well, and the final beat of him ripping her magazine picture off the wall feels like the completion of his transformation into a man who is over his toxic ex.
—
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Hicks should take advantage of his matchup against Littell and Washington’s lousy bullpen and make good on his home run prop by ripping a homer today.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
The animals were making noise and had run into the porch's screen, ripping through it and leaving behind twisted metal and mesh.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Tearing apart the stems or ripping them could make the toxic resin airborne.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
The mega-tsunami wreaked havoc across the landscape, stripping forests down to bare rock, ripping trees out by their roots and hurling boulders.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
Samantha McLemore, Patient Capital Management founder, expects the rally to keep ripping higher from here.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 6 May 2026
The truth of the matter is the oil companies are ripping us off at the pump.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
If you’re tempted by the prospect of ripping out old cabinets and resorting to lower-cost open shelving, Teel recommends staying away from open shelving or glass cabinetry to keep your space from looking cluttered.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 4 May 2026
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Hicks should take advantage of his matchup against Littell and Washington’s lousy bullpen and make good on his home run prop by ripping a homer today.
—Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 9 May 2026
The animals were making noise and had run into the porch's screen, ripping through it and leaving behind twisted metal and mesh.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Tearing apart the stems or ripping them could make the toxic resin airborne.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
The mega-tsunami wreaked havoc across the landscape, stripping forests down to bare rock, ripping trees out by their roots and hurling boulders.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
Samantha McLemore, Patient Capital Management founder, expects the rally to keep ripping higher from here.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 6 May 2026
The truth of the matter is the oil companies are ripping us off at the pump.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
If you’re tempted by the prospect of ripping out old cabinets and resorting to lower-cost open shelving, Teel recommends staying away from open shelving or glass cabinetry to keep your space from looking cluttered.
—Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripping
Verb
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Correa was an outsized contributor to that, posting the third-highest OPS-plus among Astros regulars prior to tearing a tendon in his ankle taking a swing in the batting cage.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
7 May 2026
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Law enforcement should focus on serious criminal activity, not tearing families apart.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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His girlfriend in stirrups, her assistant slicing the fruit with a scalpel instead of a chef’s knife.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
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Don't Crowd Determinate Tomatoes Most paste varieties, patio, and compact selections, and some slicing tomatoes are determinate.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Achane was the Dolphins’ lone Pro Bowl player in 2025, rushing for 1,350 yards, which is third-most in Dolphins history behind Ricky Williams’ 2002 and 2003 seasons.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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UpToDate is now rushing to implement its own AI tool, called Expert AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Essentially, yanking gravity away is another tool, just like temperature or pressure, that drug manufacturers can apply to improve their products.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
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Now, the Sentinel has learned, Florida is taking an inconsistent approach to cleaning up its mess, yanking the licenses of 47 nurses who attended schools cited by the FBI but allowing others to keep working, even when it has been alerted to their shortcomings.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The prosecutor said Tran tried to take his own life by slitting a wrist, cutting his neck and poking a blade into his stomach.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
5 Mar. 2026
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When Rochelle Luna, 18, arrived at the house hours later, Djerf bound, gagged and raped her before stabbing her and slitting her throat, court records said.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Other things flying up include flexible repair patches for sealing the space station’s hull, a replacement ultrasonic inspection tool, spare units for the station’s vibration monitoring system and parts to improve water processing and oxygen generation.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
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The pair got the gold-star treatment from some European designers, with Chanel flying them over to attend the fall show and to dine privately with Karl Lagerfeld.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Other complaints had to do with the Puerto Rican rap star grabbing his crotch, and with two dancers who allegedly grabbed each other's breasts (which, if true, is a wild dance move).—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
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With the center unavailable on Pavel Mintyukov’s first-period slashing penalty against Vegas star Mitch Marner, rookie Tim Washe played with both Killorn and Granlund.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images General Motors is slashing hundreds of salaried information technology employees in a bid to cut costs.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ripping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripping. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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