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
-
something or someone of little or no value
-
an old worn-out horse
-
a dissolute character; reprobate
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
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:
Once again, he said, the state was trying to rip away his good name and falsely brand him a killer.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
The National Weather Service has repeatedly warned of dangerous rip currents and elevated surf in recent weeks as multiple southerly swells battered the coastlines of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Homeowners have to rip up their whole bathroom or driveway if something goes wrong with their heated floors, Christian Perry, a Greenwich, Conn.-based real-estate agent, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Hearn previously told the BBC that he "didn't destroy, rip, tear, peel, or remove any part" of the paint in the pool.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
I rip the envelope open and pull out a single sheet of paper.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
PopUp’s trademarked motto is “Grip, Rip, and Dip.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser will reprise their respective roles as Dutton’s volcanic daughter Beth Dutton and her husband, boss ranch hand Rip Wheeler, in Paramount+’s “Dutton Ranch.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 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
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
Former Bradford striker Dean Windass wrote on X: "Sad news, great man and a gentleman. Thoughts go to his family RIP."
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026
I’ve tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Only Fools And Horses co-star Sue Holderness, who played Marlene in the sitcom, paid tribute to Murray on X, saying: "R.I.P. darling Patrick. Much love. You will be greatly missed."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2025
If so, there could be no one around to put an R.I.P. on humanity’s gravestone.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2024
Among the drawings is a sidewalk memorial showing the image of a Black boy on a poster marked R.I.P. attached to an iron fence and surrounded by flowers.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 15, 2022
“Sir Sidney Poitier R.I.P. He showed us how to reach for the stars.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2022
“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
The loud screech of a Typhoon and F-35 jet rips through the night sky above RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
Courtney rips the IV from her arm and escapes, barefoot and in a hospital gown.
From Salon ● Mar. 24, 2026
A flaming red rage rips through me, scorching hot, making me vibrate with a ferocity unlike anything I’ve felt before.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Blazes have ripped through the Spokane region of eastern Washington state, destroying hundreds of homes and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate over the past week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
At that point, the Blues' hierarchy could have ripped up the modus operandi that had served them so well and pivoted towards more extensive overseas recruitment.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
On its 53-mile path to the Pacific Ocean, water ripped through orchards, uprooted orange groves and flipped cars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Local media quoted the operator of the mall, which was evacuated before being ripped apart by the suspected gas blast over an hour after Tuesday's quake, as saying that all employees were now accounted for.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
I was bolt awake now, sitting up on the bedroom floor, ripped from sleep by a smell from the kitchen.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
That’s when you can think about ripping off the bandage and converting funds to Roth with an eye to the tax rate of the next generation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
By comparison Uganda has had nine since 2000, with officials there saying lessons learnt from past tragedies have allowed them to stop the disease ripping through the country on various occasions.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
"And that's not just writers who continually return to the Greeks and Romans -- the history, the myths, the characters, the events -- that's also readers. These are ripping good yarns."
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Anthropic and OpenAI have accused the Chinese model-makers of ripping off their technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Sometimes, Benny jumps right in and starts ripping open trash bags.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
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.
