rigging

American  

[rig-ing] / ˈrɪg ɪŋ /

noun

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

2. lifting or hauling tackle.

3. Informal. clothing.

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rigging British  

/ ˈrɪɡɪŋ /

noun

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

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

3. any form of lifting gear, tackle, etc

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Etymology

Origin of rigging

First recorded in 1480–90; rig + -ing ¹

Explanation

Everything on a sailboat or ship that holds the sails up is its rigging. The rigging typically includes masts and ropes. Sometimes the term rigging is used for just about everything on a sailing vessel, including the sails themselves. You can also use this noun for the process of adjusting or setting up these parts, either on a ship or an airship, parachute, or hang-glider. Rigging comes from the verb rig, which was originally nautical and meant just "to fit with sails."

Example Sentences

Prediction markets have spurred repeated allegations of skulduggery in recent months, ranging from insider trading by politicians to suspected rigging of bets on the Ukraine war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Other high-profile figures who had previously been indicted on separate cases of stock rigging include Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong, Kakao founder Kim Beom-su, and former first lady Kim Keon-hee.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav a blistering letter Wednesday, accusing the studio of rigging the process in favor of a “single bidder” and “abdicating its duties to stockholders.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2025

His wife is also in custody and on trial on charges including bribery, stock-market rigging, and accepting luxury gifts worth more than $50,000.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

She had noticed him often, his thin wiry figure swinging easily hand over hand up the rigging, his sandy, sun-bleached head bent over a coil of rope.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare