rip
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut or tear apart in a rough or vigorous manner.
to rip open a seam; to rip up a sheet.
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to cut or tear away in a rough or vigorous manner.
to rip bark from a tree.
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to saw (wood) in the direction of the grain.
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Digital Technology. to copy (audio or video files from a CD, DVD, or website) to a hard drive or mobile device, typically by extracting the raw data and changing the file format in the process.
Can you rip this CD for me?
verb (used without object)
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to become torn apart or split open.
Cheap cloth rips easily.
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Informal. to move with violence or great speed.
The sports car ripped along in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes.
noun
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a rent made by ripping; tear.
- Synonyms:
- cut, laceration
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Slang. a cheat, swindle, or theft; ripoff.
The average consumer doesn't realize that the new tax is a rip.
verb phrase
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rip out to utter angrily, as with an oath or exclamation.
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rip off
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to steal or pilfer.
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to rob or steal from.
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to swindle, cheat, or exploit; take advantage of.
phony charity appeals that rip off a gullible public.
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rip into to attack physically or verbally; assail.
idioms
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let rip,
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to utter a series of oaths; swear.
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to speak or write violently, rapidly, or at great length.
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to allow to proceed at full speed or without restraint.
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noun
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a stretch of turbulent water at sea or in a river.
noun
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a dissolute or worthless person.
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a worthless or worn-out horse.
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something of little or no value.
noun
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a male given name, form of Robert.
abbreviation
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rest in peace:
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(used, especially on grave markers and memorials, to wish peace after death upon a deceased person).
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Often Facetious. (used to indicate that a person or thing has been destroyed or damaged).
RIP to my dignity after that awful spin class.
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noun
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something or someone of little or no value
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an old worn-out horse
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a dissolute character; reprobate
noun
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short for riptide
abbreviation
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requiescat or requiescant in pace
verb
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to tear or be torn violently or roughly; split or be rent
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(tr; foll by off or out) to remove hastily, carelessly, or roughly
they ripped out all the old kitchen units
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informal (intr) to move violently or precipitously; rush headlong
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informal to pour violent abuse (on); make a verbal attack (on)
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(tr) to saw or split (wood) in the direction of the grain
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informal (tr) computing to copy (music or software) without permission or making any payment
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to act or speak without restraint
noun
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the place where something is torn; a tear or split
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short for ripsaw
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A stretch of water in a river, estuary, or tidal channel made rough by waves meeting an opposing current.
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A rip current.
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The abbreviation for “rest in peace,” often found on gravestones or in obituaries. From the Latin, requiescat in pace.
More idioms and phrases containing rip
Related Words
See tear 2.
Other Word Forms
- rippable adjective
- unrippable adjective
Etymology
Origin of rip1
First recorded in 1400–50; 1960–65 rip 1 for def. 10; Middle English rippen “to tear out (seams, sutures), rip, rip off”; further origin uncertain; obscurely akin to Frisian rippe, Middle Dutch rippen, reppen; compare dialectal English ripple “to scratch”
Origin of rip2
First recorded in 1765–75; rip 1, ripple 1
Origin of rip3
First recorded in 1770–80; of uncertain origin; possibly alteration of rep, shortened form of reprobate
Origin of RIP5
From Latin requiēscat (or requiēscant ) in pāce
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was going to rip up the Wolverines’ roster and start from scratch.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
She’s got “slay” and “work” sitting at the tip of her tongue, ready to rip, and it’s a blast seeing what Wineman does with this very specific archetype.
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
They rip off their clothes, dunk their heads in the dip and lead dance battles to La Bouche’s “Be My Lover.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Sarah paid $15,000 to rip out the chain-link fence separating the Healing Arts center and Quirky, which had been cut into repeatedly, and replace it with 80 feet of reinforcement.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
He was tall and skinny, skinnier than Dari even, in a way that looked like his bones might rip right through his skin with one wrong move.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
