1
as in to rob
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to steal
to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep
the thief ripped off some jewelry as soon as no one was looking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
an investigation revealed that a whole slew of suppliers had been ripping off the defense department
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of rip-off
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
But The Pitt and its characters earn your attention, which is something a mere rip-off couldn’t do.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Winston contends the team is ripping off his art, which is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Noun
No deals have been reached with America’s largest trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and China, which is the single biggest contributor to the bulging U.S. trade deficit that Trump calls a rip-off for the American people.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 May 2025
But The Pitt and its characters earn your attention, which is something a mere rip-off couldn’t do.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
Early in Wednesday’s practice, Lloyd bounced outside and ripped off a big run.
—Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Winston contends the team is ripping off his art, which is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rip-off
Noun
-
Blair Clark-Green, 44, of Prairie Grove was charged July 31 in connection with felony theft of property, according to a preliminary police report from the Farmington Police Department.—
Lynn Kutter,
Arkansas Online,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Gill was arrested in June 2023 on several charges including theft of property totaling $250,000 or more, two counts of financial transactions from felony theft proceeds and two counts of patronizing prostitution.—
Katie Nixon,
The Tennessean,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank - which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war - will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
15 Aug. 2025
-
The parable describes a traveler who was attacked and robbed of his belongings while people walk by without offering help.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The gaming community was hit with another delay of Grand Theft Auto 6 earlier this year and that means those who were hoping to spend the fall months stealing cars and evading the police are needing something to fill that void.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The Thunder star and Converse stole the show that weekend, making their presence felt all over the city with signage and an epic pop-up that gave fans a first look at the SHAI 001 in person.—
Nick Crain,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This year has already seen examples of AI systems willing to deceive, cheat and steal to achieve their goals.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
-
And rebuilding trust – as anyone knows who has lied or cheated – is far harder than protecting it.—
Teresa Ghilarducci,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This is the no-judgment, real-world talk that everyone deserves to hear before swiping right in college — or anywhere.—
Jill Grimes,
CNN Money,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The universe does encourage you to keep swiping away on those apps, though.—
Zoe Pearl,
New Yorker,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Ewers was impressive finding A.J. Henning on one throw and squeezed a pass into a tight window to running back Ollie Gordon II.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Aug. 2025
-
To squeeze all this into exactly 100 days between Wrexham staging a promotion party after last season had ended and Tuesday’s cup tie against Hull is impressive.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Pieces from Stock are often plucked by stylists for celebrity editorials for Vanity Fair, Esquire and GQ.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Unlike many popular artists, she was never classically trained or in any other bands, nor was she plucked from obscurity to perform assembly-line creations.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This was where Leclerc’s innate ability to hustle a car through a qualifying lap and extract every last ounce of pace made all the difference.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
2 Aug. 2025
-
She’s been hustling on brand deals as well, some that have, like the American Eagle campaign, landed with some controversy.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rip-off. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share