rig

[ rig ]

/ rɪg /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rig ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), rigged, rig·ging.

Chiefly Nautical.

to put in proper order for working or use.
to fit (a ship, mast, etc.) with the necessary shrouds, stays, etc.
to fit (shrouds, stays, sails, etc.) to the mast, yard, or the like.

to furnish or provide with equipment, clothing, etc.; fit (usually followed by out or up).

to assemble, install, or prepare (often followed by up).

to manipulate fraudulently: to rig prices.

noun

the arrangement of the masts, spars, sails, etc., on a boat or ship.

apparatus for some purpose; equipment; outfit; gear: a hi-fi rig; Bring your rod and reel and all the rest of your fishing rig.

Also called drill rig. the equipment used in drilling an oil well.

any combination trucking unit in which vehicles are hooked together, as a tractor-trailer.

any kind of truck.

a carriage, buckboard, sulky, or wagon together with the horse or horses that draw it.

Informal. costume or dress, especially when odd or conspicuous, or when designated for a particular purpose: He looks quite nifty in a butler's rig.

Verb Phrases

rig down, Nautical. to place in an inactive state, stowing all lines, tackles, and other removable parts.

rig up, to equip or set up for use.

Nearby words

Origin of rig

1480–90; 1930–35 for def 4; probably < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish rigg (noun), rigga (v.)

Related formsout·rig, verb (used with object), out·rigged, out·rig·ging.o·ver·rigged, adjectiveun·der·rigged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rig

Blue Book on this rig is about $750,000, and we got it for nothing.
Why Does My Kids’ Elementary School Need a Tank?|Andy Hinds|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You do that to a certain extent with performance capture by the way you calibrate the model of Caesar—or the rig, as we call it.
Motion Capture Maestro Andy Serkis on ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and Revolutionizing Cinema|Marlow Stern|July 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1971, a team of Soviet scientists was drilling at the site when their rig collapsed into a cavernous pocket of natural gas.
A Fiery Pit Rages in the Turkmenistan Desert|Nina Strochlic|August 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It is the mark of a desperate party trying to rig the election results to stay in power for as long as it can.
Republicans’ Nefarious Election Ploy|John Avlon|January 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When Colin bit, they had control of it and the rig shot fake blood out of a tube.
Colin Farrell Licked Me!|Emily Montague|August 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Jim was nearly back to the town when a horse and rig appeared coming rapidly toward him.
The Preacher of Cedar Mountain|Ernest Thompson Seton
If you'll order some kind of a rig for me, I'll not trouble you longer.
A Texas Ranger|William MacLeod Raine
"That's a han'some rig," was all he said, as he sank to his chair and laid a letter on the oilcloth-covered table.
The Heritage of the Hills|Arthur P. Hankins
It would be a cinch to rig up a flashlight bulb and battery inside one.
The Blue Ghost Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin
He wheeled it on a truck to the rig, picked it up and deposited it in the wagon back of the seat without apparent effort.
The Land of Strong Men|Arthur M. Chisholm

British Dictionary definitions for rig (1 of 2)

rig

/ (rɪɡ) /

verb rigs, rigging or rigged (tr)

nautical to equip (a vessel, mast, etc) with (sails, rigging, etc)

nautical to set up or prepare ready for use

to put the components of (an aircraft, etc) into their correct positions

to manipulate in a fraudulent manner, esp for profitto rig prices; to rig an election

noun

nautical the distinctive arrangement of the sails, masts, and other spars of a vessel

the installation used in drilling for and exploiting natural oil and gas depositsan oil rig In full: drilling rig

apparatus or equipment; gear

an amateur radio operator's transmitting and receiving set

US and Canadian a carriage together with one or more horses

mainly US and Canadian an articulated lorry

Word Origin for rig

C15: from Scandinavian; related to Norwegian rigga to wrap

British Dictionary definitions for rig (2 of 2)

rig

/ (rɪɡ) /

noun

Scot and Northern English dialect a ridge or raised strip of unploughed land in a ploughed field

Word Origin for rig

a variant of ridge

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

Word Origin and History for rig (1 of 2)

rig

late 15c., originally nautical, "to fit with sails," probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish, Norwegian rigge "to equip," Swedish rigga "to rig, harness"), though these may be from English; perhaps ultimately from PIE *reig- "to bind." Slang meaning "to pre-arrange or tamper with results" is attested from 1938, perhaps a different word, from rig (n.) "a trick, swindle, scheme" (1775), earlier "sport, banter, ridicule" (1725), of unknown origin. Also there is rig (v.) "ransack" from 1560s, likewise of unknown origin. Related: Rigged; rigging.

Word Origin and History for rig (1 of 2)

rig

"distinctive arrangement of sails, masts, etc. on a ship," 1822, from rig (v.). Extended to costume, clothing outfit (1843); horse-drawn vehicle (1831), which led to sense of "truck, bus, etc." (1851); and apparatus for well-sinking (1875).

rig

verb (used with object), rigged, rig·ging.

noun

Verb Phrases

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Nearby words

Origin of rig

Examples from the Web for rig

British Dictionary definitions for rig (1 of 2)

rig

verb rigs, rigging or rigged (tr)

noun

Word Origin for rig

British Dictionary definitions for rig (2 of 2)

rig

noun

Word Origin for rig

Word Origin and History for rig (1 of 2)

rig

Word Origin and History for rig (1 of 2)

rig