rigging

[ rig-ing ]

/ ˈrɪg ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rigging ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the ropes, chains, etc., employed to support and work the masts, yards, sails, etc., on a ship.

lifting or hauling tackle.

Informal. clothing.

RELATED WORDS

equipment, apparatus

Nearby words

rigatoni, rigaudon, rigel, rigel kentaurus, rigger, rigging, rigging loft, riggs' disease, right, right about, right about face

Origin of rigging

First recorded in 1480–90; rig + -ing¹

Definition for rigging (2 of 2)

rig

[ rig ]

/ rɪg /

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.

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 rigging

There were reports of rigging, fraud and the use of violence to influence voting.
Kerry Must Let the Afghan Voters Choose Their Next President|Zardasht Shams|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“People are really upset and motivated by the idea that the wealthy are rigging the game in their favor,” he said.
Can This Ornery Socialist Spoil the Clinton Coronation?|David Freedlander|July 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Children have fantasy lives so rich and combustible that rigging them with lies is like putting a propeller on a rocket.
Why Jimmy Kimmel’s Lies Matter|Sam Harris|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And with a history of elections marred by rigging, voters were particularly sensitive and vocal about hints of irregularities.
All Calm at Polls as Kenya Votes in Crucial Election|Laura Heaton|March 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The vessel has righted and become buoyant by the sacrifice of masts and rigging.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 355, May 1845|Various
Red tongues were shooting out forward, as if to grasp the rigging of the fore-mast that still stood untouched.
Ran Away to Sea|Mayne Reid
The most unreliable portion of a yacht's rigging is the ironwork.
On Yachts and Yacht Handling|Thomas Fleming Day
Their clothes would not dry when taken off and hung upon the rigging, so impregnated was the atmosphere with moisture.
Ocean's Story; or Triumphs of Thirty Centuries|Edward Rowland
Having set up their rigging, they went out again toward the latter end of the month.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 1|David Collins

British Dictionary definitions for rigging (1 of 3)

rigging

/ (ˈrɪɡɪŋ) /

noun

the shrouds, stays, halyards, etc, of a vessel

the bracing wires, struts, and lines of a biplane, balloon, etc

any form of lifting gear, tackle, etc

British Dictionary definitions for rigging (2 of 3)

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 rigging (3 of 3)

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 rigging (1 of 3)

rigging

late 15c., "action of fitting (a ship) with ropes, etc.; 1590s as "ropes that work the sails of a ship," verbal noun from rig (v.).

Word Origin and History for rigging (1 of 3)

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 rigging (2 of 3)

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).