1
as in robbing
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in stealing
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 cheating
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 ripping off
Seeing this much effort put into ripping off people annoys him.
—
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
No more ripping off the American Taxpayer.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
There’s little risk of Amodei pulling a Zaslav and ripping off Carter’s wardrobe.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Franchise removal more typically comes like ripping off a bandage.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
There were two more touchdown drives on Saturday with transfer running back Landon Walker ripping off a 40-yard touchdown while Pitchford added another touchdown run in the red zone.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
Then the Red Sox offense came back to life, ripping off three straight hits and scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Story RBI single and a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Durbin, which was initially ruled an inning-ending double play before being overturned after replay review.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
After her friend left, Sprunk allegedly tried ripping off the woman's clothes.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Tougher still was standing in the fairway on the par-5 18th, the cold Pacific air ripping off the ocean to his left, and having to wait some 20 minutes as Jacob Bridgeman had to figure out how to play off the beach only for his shot to go into the ocean.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026
No more ripping off the American Taxpayer.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
There’s little risk of Amodei pulling a Zaslav and ripping off Carter’s wardrobe.
—Julian Sancton, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Franchise removal more typically comes like ripping off a bandage.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
There were two more touchdown drives on Saturday with transfer running back Landon Walker ripping off a 40-yard touchdown while Pitchford added another touchdown run in the red zone.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2026
Then the Red Sox offense came back to life, ripping off three straight hits and scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Story RBI single and a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Durbin, which was initially ruled an inning-ending double play before being overturned after replay review.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
After her friend left, Sprunk allegedly tried ripping off the woman's clothes.
—Nick Lentz, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Tougher still was standing in the fairway on the par-5 18th, the cold Pacific air ripping off the ocean to his left, and having to wait some 20 minutes as Jacob Bridgeman had to figure out how to play off the beach only for his shot to go into the ocean.
—ABC News, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripping off
Verb
-
In the late 1990s, officers from a gang unit in the LAPD’s Rampart Division were accused of robbing people and planting evidence, among other crimes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
This talent is noticed by Josh Gad (yes, played by Josh Gad) who puts Doorman into his bank-robbing heist movie franchise.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Leto, who has done more than a few of these kinds of villainous cartoon characters, brings some scene-stealing sly humor and sharp line readings to his despicable Skeletor with a voice that sounds like a cross between James Earl Jones and Sir Ian McKellen.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
-
Federal prosecutors charged him with 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering and stealing money from political donors.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Verb
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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
-
In the course of reality TV’s 20-some-odd years golden era, a cheating scandal is almost as certain as a public screaming match in an unsuspecting local restaurant.—
Alexandra Hildreth,
Vogue,
29 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
-
Carting around unhappy campers in 100-degree weather and squeezing work into a shorter window is not exactly being poolside with a marg.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
4 June 2026
-
The defense is disciplined, squeezing pressure from its trio of wings.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Before 2014, Major League Baseball runners trying to score often tried knocking over a catcher who was blocking the plate.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
19 May 2026
-
During a recent demonstration, the robot, guided by engineers, gingerly lifted and placed cups at a minibar, at one point knocking over a dish.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Each following June, Kvaratskhelia would repeat the ritual, plucking the early growers from the tree.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The only thing that prevented a shutout was Ross Colton plucking in a rebound off Brent Burns’ sniper off Hart’s chest.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Fallout from the scandal, compounded by the Labor Party’s stinging local election losses, has tanked Starmer’s poll numbers.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Sacramento Stingers California’s capital city has a number of prominent entities represented by flying, stinging insects.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ripping off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripping%20off. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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