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
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Recent Examples of rips
Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … ROBES RIVALRY — Liberal justice Elena Kagan rips colleague Jackson's dissent in rare public break.
—FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Then a man comes in from behind and rips down their banner.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Spanning 180 acres between four of the city’s most dynamic neighborhoods, Sunnyside Yard is a steel and asphalt scar that rips across Western Queens — serving those passing through, not those that call this borough home.
—Ben Guttmann, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
Above this playful mess of a beat, which includes a music box-like instrument that sounds partially broken, Shabaka rips out brief and noisy phrases on tenor sax.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
It’s generally accepted that John rips Carolyn’s engagement ring off her finger in the park, and returns it when sitting on the curb.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
Costarring Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, the film rips open the emotional wounds that are often left by one's parents.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Seguin rips Burleson, remains fourth in 8-5A Zoderick Green paced Arlington Seguin with 17 points as the Cougars held on to fourth place in District 8-5A with a 69-42 win over Burleson.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
Lauren David, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
The luxury department store chain employs 1,500 people to provide tailoring and alternations, from hemming jeans and repairing rips to fitting suits and reworking evening gowns.
—Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Dave Grohl plays drums, and absolutely rips.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
The technology is also moving into textiles and wearables, where self-repairing fabrics can mend small rips or abrasions, extending product life and reducing waste.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Silky and quiet, the 10-denier nylon (100 percent recycled) proved durable enough to resist snags or rips over two years of heavy use in Colorado’s high peaks.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
After washing and drying the sheet set several times, there were no signs of loose seams, pilling rips, holes, or color fading.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2026
Care and Repair Before cleaning or storing, fix rips and tears in winter coats, including linings.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026
Aim for classic shades of blue denim without rips or embellishments.
—Gena Kaufman, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
Of course, Wallace already rips the ball away from dribblers more than anyone else.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Continue reading … ROBES RIVALRY — Liberal justice Elena Kagan rips colleague Jackson's dissent in rare public break.
—FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Then a man comes in from behind and rips down their banner.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Spanning 180 acres between four of the city’s most dynamic neighborhoods, Sunnyside Yard is a steel and asphalt scar that rips across Western Queens — serving those passing through, not those that call this borough home.
—Ben Guttmann, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
Above this playful mess of a beat, which includes a music box-like instrument that sounds partially broken, Shabaka rips out brief and noisy phrases on tenor sax.
—Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
It’s generally accepted that John rips Carolyn’s engagement ring off her finger in the park, and returns it when sitting on the curb.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
Costarring Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, the film rips open the emotional wounds that are often left by one's parents.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Seguin rips Burleson, remains fourth in 8-5A Zoderick Green paced Arlington Seguin with 17 points as the Cougars held on to fourth place in District 8-5A with a 69-42 win over Burleson.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
Two easy ways to ensure the grass is mowed properly is, according to Cannon, to know the turf type and how much to mow and use a sharp mower blade to avoid tears or rips, which are basically open wounds on the plant.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
The luxury department store chain employs 1,500 people to provide tailoring and alternations, from hemming jeans and repairing rips to fitting suits and reworking evening gowns.
—Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Dave Grohl plays drums, and absolutely rips.
—Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2026
The technology is also moving into textiles and wearables, where self-repairing fabrics can mend small rips or abrasions, extending product life and reducing waste.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Silky and quiet, the 10-denier nylon (100 percent recycled) proved durable enough to resist snags or rips over two years of heavy use in Colorado’s high peaks.
—Kelly Bastone, Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
After washing and drying the sheet set several times, there were no signs of loose seams, pilling rips, holes, or color fading.
—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2026
Care and Repair Before cleaning or storing, fix rips and tears in winter coats, including linings.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 Jan. 2026
Aim for classic shades of blue denim without rips or embellishments.
—Gena Kaufman, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rips
Verb
-
The company regularly buys brand-new devices and tears them to pieces.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As the GIs raise their guns, a pudgy hand in the backseat tears a strip of white cloth from his companion’s petticoat for the chauffeur to hang out the window.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Clarke excelled laying his body on the line to thwart shot attempts and foil odd-man rushes while remaining the Kings’ most mobile defender and their best rearguard by far with the puck.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Bain rushes the passer with bad intentions, which covers for his shorter-than-desired arm length (30 7/8 inches) for his position.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Keep those rosary beads handy whenever Aaron Gordon grabs his hammy.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Maya Hawke grabs her guitar and gets in front of the mic at the SiriusXM Studios in New York City on April 13.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Trump admin official shreds NY Times over multiple corrections to report on Silicon Valley initiative.—
,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Pour the soup mixture over the vegetables and continue to cook until the chicken easily shreds with a fork.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The map slices through Kansas City, splitting the city’s voters across three Republican-leaning districts.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Toast 2–4 slices bread of choice (such as country-style sourdough or multigrain).—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The way Radcliffe scurries out of his chair and into the green room to meet Liu illustrates her visceral impact.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Bridgerton fans can spot the Old Royal Naval College mostly throughout season 2, like when a paperboy scurries across the grounds to deliver the latest gossip from Lady Whistledown in the first episode.—
Kayla Keegan,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As Detective Maden takes the wine bottle from him and the officers reach for his wrists, Brown resists and yanks his arms back, the video shows.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Leaphorn yanks the jug his way (despite being cuffed) and is able to put the filter packet down his pants.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The proposal slashes funding to the agency’s science program by 46 percent—a cut similar to what had been proposed in the president’s budget request for the current fiscal year.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Through careful tuning of an extended Kalman filter and by taking advantage of bamboo’s natural vibration-damping properties, the system slashes control latency from 15–20 milliseconds down to just 8–10 milliseconds, enhancing responsiveness while keeping flight stable.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rips.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rips. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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