1
as in tears
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
Relevance
2
as in slits
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 rushes
to proceed or move quickly
the car went ripping down the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grabs
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
rip a sheet off the pad of paper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in perverts
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
something of a rip in his youth, he eventually settled down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of rips
FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2025
The Meadow Vista Community Center, located at 1101 Meadow Vista Road, could also serve as an evacuation site if a fire rips through the area, residents said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop's hands and smashes it into a wall.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Never one to give up, Arisu rips a piece of the grid room’s floor from its moorings and uses it to smash into the screen wall separating him from the outside.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Schumer rips Trump on a near-daily basis on the Senate floor, accusing the president of being a wannabe dictator and serial liar who puts his own interests and even Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests ahead of what’s best for the United States.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
Inside the furnace, a reaction takes place that rips the oxygen from the silica and sticks it to the carbon from the wood.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2025
Harris rips her successor for violating every rule of security and protocol with the move.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
When enforcement rips through their communities, small businesses, with their limited margins and flexibility, are first to feel the pain.
—Javier Palomarez, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Trump’s reset rips it back to its DNA.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Some stuffing gaped out of the rips on the back.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Knee rips and distressing, as well as a drop-sleeve denim moto jacket added some New York attitude to the collection.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
What was once limited to grainy camcorder recordings in theaters now also includes polished Blu-ray rips hitting the internet weeks early.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Stardust lived on without them, online, in YouTube rips and forum discussions.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
The old turf was so tattered and torn that concrete was visible beneath some rips.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
China's government’s AI push, which was announced on Tuesday, has led to absolute rips in multiple semiconductor stocks, along with technology hardware and software.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Continue reading … CRIME MAGNET – Washington Post rips Democratic Socialist's costly bus proposal for New Yorkers.
—FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2025
The Meadow Vista Community Center, located at 1101 Meadow Vista Road, could also serve as an evacuation site if a fire rips through the area, residents said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop's hands and smashes it into a wall.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Never one to give up, Arisu rips a piece of the grid room’s floor from its moorings and uses it to smash into the screen wall separating him from the outside.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Schumer rips Trump on a near-daily basis on the Senate floor, accusing the president of being a wannabe dictator and serial liar who puts his own interests and even Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interests ahead of what’s best for the United States.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
Inside the furnace, a reaction takes place that rips the oxygen from the silica and sticks it to the carbon from the wood.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2025
Harris rips her successor for violating every rule of security and protocol with the move.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
When enforcement rips through their communities, small businesses, with their limited margins and flexibility, are first to feel the pain.
—Javier Palomarez, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
This season, designers at New York Fashion Week spring 2026 shows turned the fabric into a moving canvas — giving it the high-design treatment with experimental silhouettes, dazzling embellishments and old-school rips.
—Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Trump’s reset rips it back to its DNA.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Some stuffing gaped out of the rips on the back.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Knee rips and distressing, as well as a drop-sleeve denim moto jacket added some New York attitude to the collection.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 18 Sep. 2025
What was once limited to grainy camcorder recordings in theaters now also includes polished Blu-ray rips hitting the internet weeks early.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Stardust lived on without them, online, in YouTube rips and forum discussions.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
The old turf was so tattered and torn that concrete was visible beneath some rips.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
China's government’s AI push, which was announced on Tuesday, has led to absolute rips in multiple semiconductor stocks, along with technology hardware and software.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rips
Verb
-
First released in 2020 on South Africa’s M-Net, a division of MultiChoice, and now a Canal Plus company, the thriller about how a family tears itself apart in a succession battle built a huge fandom in South Africa and fame abroad.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The Achilles tears that the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers suffered during the 2025 playoffs have made the race for the conference wide open this coming season.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His production, measured by EPA per start on pass plays and QB rushes, ranks second among 33 qualifying quarterbacks (minimum three starts) this season, per TruMedia.—
Mike Sando,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
While After the Hunt rushes through how Maggie and Alma’s differences were resolved, Maggie lands a polemic Rolling Stone op-ed that further puts Alma’s tenure in jeopardy.—
Essence,
Essence,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Never one to sit idly by, Danny grabs his NYPD shield and goes bulldozing his way to the crime scene.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
-
And then Rising walks away, grabs the iPad and motions for Mayer to join him.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Extreme weather at the poles stresses crucial moss and lichen, and shreds entire habitats in hours.—
Marion Renault,
The Atlantic,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Trump, by contrast, shreds regular procedures, shrugs off the expertise needed to bring policies to life, and promotes administrative incompetence in order to eliminate any authority other than himself.—
Russell Muirhead,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.—
Jessica Saari Christensen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Three Sevilla players are offside, but they are quickly played on as the Frenchman charges down the line and swings a cross into Romero, who slices his shot wide.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The older dog is shown marching along, while the puppy scurries along, attempting to match its pace.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In some versions of the tale, the wolf scurries off to the forest while the three pigs live happily ever after in humble homesteads of their choice.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Suddenly, someone in the audience yanks her violently into the screaming mass of people.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
-
In each Whatever After novel, a magic portal yanks the main character, Abby, out of her comfortable life and thrusts her into another reality.—
Sarah Mlynowski,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To placate the rideshare companies, Newsom signed a separate bill that slashes their insurance requirements for accidents.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Researchers at Rice University have developed a new catalyst that slashes iridium use in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers by over 80%.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rips.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rips. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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