rigged

adjective

ˈrigd 

1

: manipulated or controlled by deceptive or dishonest means

a rigged election

Attempts to pass a rigged repatriation bill are exhibit A of what enrages Americans about Washington and Wall Street.

—Brent Budowsky

His 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.

2

: fitted out with rigging of a specified kind

The Cornish lugger was a small, two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged boat.

—Mark Kurlansky

When 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

Examples of rigged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

California’s worst political leaders are protected from recall by a rigged system. —Susan Shelley, Orange County Register, 14 Jan. 2025

Its rigged texture adds so much visual intrigue and is slim enough to fit into any coffee table or entryway. —Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024

But by the middle of the fight, boo-birds rang out in the crowd, and with Paul winning by unanimous decision, accusations of a rigged fight ran all over social media. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2024

On the flip side, Trump and his surrogates have hammered home that a rigged and broken system is the result of the collusion between the mainstream media and elites. —Chris Jackson, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1500, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing rigged

• jerry-rigged
• square-rigged