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rip off

 - 9 dictionary results

rip⋅off

[rip-awf, -of]
–noun Slang.
1. an act or instance of ripping off another or others; a theft, cheat, or swindle.
2. exploitation, esp. of those who cannot prevent or counter it.
3. a copy or imitation.
4. a person who rips off another or others; thief or swindler.
Also, rip-off.


Origin:
1965–70; n. use of v. phrase rip off

rip

1[rip] verb, ripped, rip⋅ping, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to cut or tear apart in a rough or vigorous manner: to rip open a seam; to rip up a sheet.
2. to cut or tear away in a rough or vigorous manner: to rip bark from a tree.
3. to saw (wood) in the direction of the grain.
–verb (used without object)
4. to become torn apart or split open: Cheap cloth rips easily.
5. Informal. to move with violence or great speed: The sports car ripped along in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes.
–noun
6. a rent made by ripping; tear.
7. Slang. a cheat, swindle, or theft; ripoff: The average consumer doesn't realize that the new tax is a rip.
8. rip into, Informal. to attack physically or verbally; assail.
9. rip off, Slang.
a. to steal or pilfer.
b. to rob or steal from.
c. to swindle, cheat, or exploit; take advantage of: phony charity appeals that rip off a gullible public.
10. rip out, Informal. to utter angrily, as with an oath or exclamation.
11. let rip, Slang.
a. to utter a series of oaths; swear.
b. to speak or write violently, rapidly, or at great length.
c. to allow to proceed at full speed or without restraint.

Origin:
1470–80; 1960–65 for def. 9; obscurely akin to Fris rippe, dial. D rippen; cf. dial. E ripple to scratch


rip⋅pa⋅ble, adjective


1. See tear 2 . 6. laceration, cut.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rip off
rip 1   (rĭp)   
v.   ripped, rip·ping, rips

v.   tr.
  1. To cut, tear apart, or tear away roughly or energetically. See Synonyms at tear1.

  2. To split or saw (wood) along the grain.

  3. To subject to vehement criticism or attack: The critic ripped the tedious movie.

  4. Informal To produce, display, or utter suddenly: ripped out a vicious oath.

  5. Computer Science To copy (audio or audio-visual material from a CD or DVD).

v.   intr.
  1. To become torn or split apart.

  2. Informal To move quickly or violently.

n.  
  1. The act of ripping.

  2. A torn or split place, especially along a seam.

  3. A ripsaw.

Phrasal Verb(s):
rip intoTo attack or criticize vehemently: ripped into her opponent's political record.
rip off Slang
  1. To steal from: thieves who ripped off the unsuspecting tourist.

  2. To steal: ripped off a leather jacket while ostensibly trying on clothes.

  3. To exploit, swindle, cheat, or defraud: a false advertising campaign that ripped off consumers.


[Middle English rippen, from Flemish; see reup- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
rip

  1. n.
    a drinking bout. (See also tear.) : Fred had another rip last night. He's rotten now.
  2. n.
    the loot from a rip-off. : Give him some of the rip and tell him to beat it.
  3. n.
    a theft; a rip-off. : The crooks pulled a rip on Fourth Street last night.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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rip (so) off

  1. tv.
    to assault, kill, beat, rob, rape, or cheat someone. : Man, they ripped me off for three hundred dollars.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
rip (sth) off

  1. tv.
    to steal something. : The crooks ripped off the hubcaps of my car.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
rip-off

  1. n.
    a theft; a deception; an exploitation. (See also rip.) : What a rip-off! I want my money back.
  2. mod.
    having to do with theft and deception. : I consider myself to be rip-off champion of North America.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

rip  (v.)
"tear apart," c.1477, probably of North Sea Gmc. origin (cf. Flem. rippen "strip off roughly," Frisian rippe "to tear, rip") or else from a Scand. source (cf. Swed. reppa, Dan. rippe "to tear, rip"). In either case, probably imitative of the sound of cloth ripping. Meaning "to move with slashing force" (1798) is the sense in let her rip, Amer.Eng. colloquial phrase attested from 1853. The noun is attested from 1711; rip cord (1909) originally was in ballooning. The verbal phrase rip off "to steal or rob," is first recorded c.1967 in black slang, but rip was prison slang for "to steal" since 1904, and was also used in this sense in 12c. Rip-off (n.) is attested from 1970. Jack the Ripper contains a pun on ripper in sense of "tool for ripping" old slates, etc. (1793) and the slang meaning "a ripping fellow" (1838), from ripping "excellent, splendid" (1826).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

rip off

  1. Steal, as in They fired him when they caught him ripping off some of the merchandise.

  2. Cheat, defraud, as in These advertising claims have ripped off a great many consumers.

  3. Copy, plagiarize, as in He was sued for ripping off someone else's thesis. All three usages are slang from the second half of the 1900s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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