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View synonyms for ripper

ripper

[rip-er]

noun

  1. a person or thing that rips. rip.

  2. Also ripper bill, ripper act a legislative bill or act for taking powers of appointment to and removal from office away from the usual holders of these powers and conferring them unrestrictedly on a chief executive, as a governor or mayor, or on a board of officials.

  3. a double-ripper.

  4. a killer who dispatches and often mutilates victims with a knife or similar weapon.

  5. Mining.,  a hooklike tool, attached to earth-moving machinery, for tearing away ore, rock, etc.

  6. Chiefly British Slang.,  something especially strong, fine, or good of its kind.



ripper

/ ˈrɪpə /

noun

  1. a person who rips

  2. a murderer who dissects or mutilates his victims' bodies

  3. informal,  a fine or excellent person or thing

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ripper1

First recorded in 1605–15; rip 1 + -er 1
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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 has gone to lengths to appear hale, skiing with a professional snowboarder and with an Olympic gold medalist who called him a “ripper” as they raced down the mountain.

Read more on New York Times

While Pangilinan still recommends what she calls “foundational” romance books — what our grandmothers would’ve called “bodice rippers” — she now cautions readers to enjoy them with a critical eye warning of “dubious consent.”

Read more on Seattle Times

They all blur the lines between women’s and literary-leaning commercial fiction, departing from the fantasy spaces of bodice rippers and misty moors to depict a world that looks a lot more like, well, our own.

Read more on Washington Post

Three overs later, Latham missed a sweep to be lbw to Root and when Leach produced a ripper that turned past Will Young's defensive stroke, New Zealand were three down still 59 adrift.

Read more on BBC

They dropped spiky steel “net rippers” onto the ocean floor to tear up trawling nets, lobbed smoke bombs onto boat decks, and threw rancid butter to taint whale meat.

Read more on Science Magazine

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