1
: manipulated or controlled by deceptive or dishonest means
a rigged contest
Attempts to pass a rigged repatriation bill are exhibit A of what enrages Americans about Washington and Wall Street.—
Brent Budowsky
Brent BudowskyHis reluctance stemmed not from a lack of mercy but from his sense that pardons were a rigged game, tilted in favor of offenders with political connections.—Massimo Calabresi et al.
Massimo Calabresi et al.2
: fitted out with rigging of a specified kind
The Cornish lugger was a small, two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged boat.—Mark Kurlansky
Mark KurlanskyWhen she enters service in the fall of 1999, only the second five-masted full rigged ship ever built, she will bear the moniker of "the largest true sailing ship afloat today."—Kevin Haydon
Kevin HaydonExamples of rigged in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When billionaires pay lower effective tax rates than nurses and firefighters, that is not a fiscal policy, that is a rigged system.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2026
The angel and the former demon even get to confront God Herself (Tanya Moodie) and propose their own version of a universe in which humans would have actual free will instead of playing God’s rigged game—even if that universe comes at a great cost to Aziraphale and Crowley.
—ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
It could be argued that someone with Grede’s status and influence should instead be using the tools at their disposal to dismantle oppressive systems instead of encouraging women to play a rigged game.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2026
He was also separately accused of participating in an elaborate poker cheating scheme in which wealthy victims were allegedly lured to play in rigged games against athletes.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rigged
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.
Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 20 May 2026
The angel and the former demon even get to confront God Herself (Tanya Moodie) and propose their own version of a universe in which humans would have actual free will instead of playing God’s rigged game—even if that universe comes at a great cost to Aziraphale and Crowley.
—ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
It could be argued that someone with Grede’s status and influence should instead be using the tools at their disposal to dismantle oppressive systems instead of encouraging women to play a rigged game.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2026
He was also separately accused of participating in an elaborate poker cheating scheme in which wealthy victims were allegedly lured to play in rigged games against athletes.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rigged
Cite this Entry
“Rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigged. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
