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
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Recent Examples of rip-off
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
On the surface, Çiftlik Bank—Turkish for Farm Bank—was little more than a FarmVille rip-off; the functionality for tending to digital crops and livestock was lifted more or less straight from their competitor.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Michael Liu, the owner of Frontier HVAC, confirmed that his driver was injured and his vehicle destroyed in the crash, saying the front half of the van was ripped off when the fire truck slammed into it.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Noun
With an appeal filed this week, Warner Bros TV is making another incision to stop the legal exhumation of The Pitt, and whether or not claims the Noah Wyle-starring Emmy-winning medical drama is a rip-off of ER will go to trial.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
On the surface, Çiftlik Bank—Turkish for Farm Bank—was little more than a FarmVille rip-off; the functionality for tending to digital crops and livestock was lifted more or less straight from their competitor.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Yes, everyone was slowly getting ripped off, but at least they were getting ripped off together.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Michael Liu, the owner of Frontier HVAC, confirmed that his driver was injured and his vehicle destroyed in the crash, saying the front half of the van was ripped off when the fire truck slammed into it.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rip-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rip-off
Noun
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Large, congregate shelters of its sort offer little privacy or quiet; many have reputations for violence, drug use, and theft.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Traffic offenses accounted for two-thirds of tickets issued, and verbal assault and property theft were the most common forms of victimization.—
Katie Jackson,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Left fielder Mark Collins robs Galloway of a hit with a diving catch.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
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Eighteen-year-old Davonte Jordan was in court on Thursday charged with robbing an elderly woman at gunpoint in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood on Wednesday in broad daylight.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Shortly thereafter, VanSlooten stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a layup that made it 54-51.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Amedee makes a diving stop at first to steal a hit away from Cotton.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So those Santa Ana constituents would be cheated out of services if the money remained solely in the First District.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
17 Mar. 2026
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But the people trying to cheat their way into benefits, Cooper said, are largely not the ones attending survivors’ conferences.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Holter, who lives about a mile away, remembers a suitcase stolen off a porch and a bicycle swiped.—
Celina Tebor,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
-
For concealer pots, swiping your finger or brush in once should be enough to start.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Gasoline prices have raced closer to $4 per gallon during the war, squeezing many household budgets that are already under pressure.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Research budgets were gutted, marketing hollowed out, suppliers squeezed.—
Paul Polman,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Oreade, the fine dining restaurant, is where Chef Riccardo Bacciottini unleashes his creativity and technical prowess, using local ingredients (many plucked right from the hotel’s gardens) to make sublime dishes like tomato tartare with basil and miso or artichokes confited with pepper sauce.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
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There’s something slightly shady about this time of year, too, where mid-major talent gets showcased so that the players can get plucked out of school by the major conferences.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two snakes brought to her school for a Lyceum program got out of their glass boxes, sending students scrambling to stand on chairs, keepers racing to find the creatures, and teachers trying to hustle kids out of the auditorium.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
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Meanwhile, McCutchen walked for the fourth straight game and beat out an infield single, hustling hard to first on a squibber down the third base line.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rip-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rip-off. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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