rip
verb (used with object)
to cut or tear apart in a rough or vigorous manner.
rip
1 American
[rip]
/ rɪp /
verb (used with object)
-
rips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ripped,
past participle, past
-
ripping
present participle
-
to cut or tear apart in a rough or vigorous manner.
to rip open a seam; to rip up a sheet.
-
to cut or tear away in a rough or vigorous manner.
to rip bark from a tree.
-
to saw (wood) in the direction of the grain.
-
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)
-
rips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ripped,
past participle, past
-
ripping
present participle
-
to become torn apart or split open.
Cheap cloth rips easily.
-
Informal. to move with violence or great speed.
The sports car ripped along in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes.
noun
-
a rent made by ripping; tear.
- Synonyms:
- cut, laceration
-
Slang. a cheat, swindle, or theft; ripoff.
The average consumer doesn't realize that the new tax is a rip.
verb phrase
-
rip out to utter angrily, as with an oath or exclamation.
-
rip off
-
to steal or pilfer.
-
to rob or steal from.
-
to swindle, cheat, or exploit; take advantage of.
phony charity appeals that rip off a gullible public.
-
-
rip into to attack physically or verbally; assail.
idioms
rip
2
American
[rip]
/ rɪp /
noun
rip
3
American
[rip]
/ rɪp /
noun
Informal.
-
a dissolute or worthless person.
-
a worthless or worn-out horse.
-
something of little or no value.
Rip
4
American
[rip]
/ rɪp /
noun
RIP
5
American
[ahr-ahy-pee, rip]
/ ˈɑrˈaɪˈpi, rɪp /
Or
R.I.P.
abbreviation
rip
1
British
/ rɪp /
noun
rip
2
British
/ rɪp /
verb
-
to tear or be torn violently or roughly; split or be rent
-
(tr; foll by off or out) to remove hastily, carelessly, or roughly
they ripped out all the old kitchen units
-
informal (intr) to move violently or precipitously; rush headlong
-
informal to pour violent abuse (on); make a verbal attack (on)
-
(tr) to saw or split (wood) in the direction of the grain
-
informal (tr) computing to copy (music or software) without permission or making any payment
-
to act or speak without restraint
noun
-
the place where something is torn; a tear or split
-
short for ripsaw
RIP
3
British
abbreviation
rip
4
British
/ rɪp /
noun
-
something or someone of little or no value
-
an old worn-out horse
-
a dissolute character; reprobate
rip
Scientific
/ rĭp /
-
A stretch of water in a river, estuary, or tidal channel made rough by waves meeting an opposing current.
-
A rip current.
R.I.P.
Cultural
rip
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
See tear 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ripsimple
-
ripssimple
-
have rippedperfect
-
has rippedperfect
-
am rippingprogressive
-
are rippingprogressive
-
is rippingprogressive
-
have been rippingperfect progressive
-
has been rippingperfect progressive
Past
-
rippedsimple
-
had rippedperfect
-
was rippingprogressive
-
were rippingprogressive
-
had been rippingperfect progressive
Future
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; see origin at 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
Explanation
When you rip something, you tear it quickly or forcefully. It's almost always better to rip off a Band-Aid than to peel it off slowly. You can rip a piece of paper in half, or rip a hole in the roof of your tent. When you tear, split, or pull something apart, you rip it. You can also rip figuratively — like when your move to a new city rips you apart from your best friend. A rip off is a bad deal or a swindle, a phrase that's been popular since about 1970, although rip meaning "steal" was used as prison slang much earlier.
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.
See Examples For:
"Strong Nor'easter off the mid-Atlantic and northeast will bring coastal flooding, rip currents, strong wind gusts, and heavy rain to the region this weekend," the National Weather Service said on its website.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
"Luckily they were able to do a slight incision and not have to rip me open completely," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
I promised I would use Don’t Short Yourself to be vulnerable about my own finances, so let’s rip the Band-Aid off: I have racked up $7,500 in credit-card debt.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Their focus was on tidal disruption events, which occur when a star passes so close to a supermassive black hole that intense gravitational forces rip it apart.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He lunged forward to rip the hand-painted poster off the wall, but Jake blocked his move.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
“I grew up on the Westside. I went to school in Santa Monica. I bought my first skateboard at Rip City,” Adler said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
For the country’s semiquincentennial, my editors asked a question: What if old Rip had slept not for 20 years but 250?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
A Rip Van Winkle who slept through the last half-century and awoke on Monday, Oct.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025
Rip up your 2025 diary and take the pages from the first six months and burn them in your fireplace.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
“I’ll Holy Ghost you, Charles Baker Harris! Rip the sheets off my best bed, will you? Cut holes in ’em, will you?
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
"The grim physical state he found himself in has now ended, a blessing. Our blessing was that we had Tim Curry in our lives. RIP, my friend," he wrote.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
RIP: Despite a Season 2 renewal earlier this year, Disney just announced “Wonder Man” has been canceled.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
RIP, Sam Neill: The New Zealand actor died unexpectedly today at 78.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Following the verdict, Mieraili said: "RIP Thailand's justice system. I don't accept any of this. I didn't do anything wrong."
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
I’ve tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
If so, there could be no one around to put an R.I.P. on humanity’s gravestone.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2024
Current judge Motsi Mabuse posted a black-and-white picture of Goodman on her Instagram story, alongside the letters "R.I.P."
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2023
“Sir Sidney Poitier R.I.P. He showed us how to reach for the stars.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2022
Most end with loved ones sharing R.I.P. posts.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
“On the wall of P.S. 101’s schoolyard. The back wall. The one that faces 111th Street. Freddy would hang there all night. I want it to say, ‘Freddy the best of 109th Street, R.I.P.’
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
The episode’s signature moment comes in a soliloquy from Gen Z hero Ava Daniels, in which she rips into the idea that A.I. is inevitable and talks about how we can and should fight it.
From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026
“It’s like realizing you don’t have the title to your home as the market rips higher, that your purchase was null and void.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
"There can be rips or currents, but most of the time this particular bit of the beach is quite safe."
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Courtney rips the IV from her arm and escapes, barefoot and in a hospital gown.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
Then, halfway down the next slope, a bright yellow plane rips overhead.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
"The theatre came up in the 1970s... I was so happy when it opened," said Manjunath, watching as seats were ripped out and strewn outside.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Arsenal: Solid start to their title defence until they were ripped apart by Brighton having survived a penalty scare at Sunderland.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
For just as long, critics have ripped into his eccentric on-stage persona; still, Thompson has enjoyed one of the longest-running residencies in Las Vegas, playing shows at the Luxor Hotel & Casino.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Because frankly, if we don’t do that, it’s going to close. It’ll end up being ripped down.”
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
One or two may have noticed the ripped curtain, with the halves of the painted birthday cake now flapping in the breeze.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
States are ripping up data center tax breaks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
States that gave data centers billions in tax breaks are now ripping up the deals.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Videos of first-time buyers ripping rare cards on TikTok have racked up millions of views, and new collectors have sprung up everywhere as a result of the fandom reaching fresh audiences on social media.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
Consumer group Which? said it has "repeatedly exposed businesses, including trusted household brands, ripping off customers with dodgy deals that aren't what they seem".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
I had a chain-link finger stall for ripping open the shucks.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
