rip-off

1 of 2

noun

ˈrip-ˌȯf How to pronounce rip-off (audio)
Synonyms of rip-offnext
1
: an act or instance of stealing : theft
also : a financial exploitation
The so-called deal turned out to be a rip-off.
2
: a usually cheap exploitive imitation
a rip-off of a designer bag

rip off

2 of 2

verb

ripped off; ripping off; rips off

transitive verb

1
a
: rob
also : cheat, defraud
ripped off some unsuspecting tourists
b
: steal
sneakily ripping off store merchandise
2
: to copy or imitate blatantly or unscrupulously
The film ripped off a better one made years ago.
3
: to perform, achieve, or score quickly or easily
ripped off 10 straight points

Synonyms of rip-off

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Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of rip-off in a Sentence

Noun a daring burglary of the art museum that resulted in one of the greatest rip-offs in history Verb the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer the thief ripped off some jewelry as soon as no one was looking
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The eighth rip-off of ‘Friday the 13th’ that went straight to video in 1987 or whatever. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026 And a quick search showed that the Cambridge Analytica story is, in fact, a clear rip-off of a recent story by 404 Media journalist Matthew Gault. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 30 July 2026
Verb
The Club taught Gen X and millennial kids how to feel ripped off — the ultimate punk lesson. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026 This was the content ID that gave IP owners a chance to get paid when users ripped off their songs for YouTube or something? — Max Tani, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rip-off

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1966, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of rip-off was in 1966

Rhymes for rip-off

See All Rhymes for rip-off

Browse Nearby Words

Ripley
rip-off
rip off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip-off. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

rip-off

1 of 2 noun
ˈrip-ˌȯf
: an act or an instance of ripping off

rip off

2 of 2 verb
ˈrip-ˈȯf
1
: rob sense 1a
also : to cheat someone : defraud
2
: steal entry 1 sense 2a

More from Merriam-Webster on rip-off

Nglish: Translation of rip-off for Spanish Speakers

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