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ripper

American  
[rip-er] / ˈrɪp ər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that rips. rip.

  2. Also ripper bill, ripper act a legislative bill or act for taking powers of appointment to and removal from office away from the usual holders of these powers and conferring them unrestrictedly on a chief executive, as a governor or mayor, or on a board of officials.

  3. a double-ripper.

  4. a killer who dispatches and often mutilates victims with a knife or similar weapon.

  5. Mining. a hooklike tool, attached to earth-moving machinery, for tearing away ore, rock, etc.

  6. Chiefly British Slang. something especially strong, fine, or good of its kind.

ripper British  
/ ˈrɪpə /

noun

  1. a person who rips

  2. a murderer who dissects or mutilates his victims' bodies

  3. informal a fine or excellent person or thing

"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

Etymology

Origin of ripper

First recorded in 1605–15; rip 1 + -er 1

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.

“Any good news at all and there are so many out there way off sides to a ripper of a rally,” Detrick said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

The objects there are built on an Alice in Wonderland scale: tomato-shaped pincushions as big as chairs, a gargantuan seam ripper in royal blue, bobbins a giant could use.

From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2021

Earlier, Rory Burns was bowled by a bail-trimmer from Mohammed Shami for 61, while Hameed lost his off stump to a ripper from spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2021

When they opened for Death Cab at the fabled club a year later, they brought up blues ripper Brett Benton to play one of his songs.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2021

When I offered to help, she raised an eyebrow—she had no idea I could sew—but handed me a coat, a diamond choker, a seam ripper, and a needle.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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.