ripsnorter
Americannoun
-
something or someone exceedingly strong or violent.
a ripsnorter of a gale.
-
something or someone remarkably good or exciting.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ripsnorter
Explanation
Some movies and music albums are just so-so, while others are real ripsnorters — thrilling, sensational, memorable! A storm can be a ripsnorter, and so can an exciting election campaign, if such a thing is imaginable. Ripsnorters are usually things, but occasionally a person can be a ripsnorter, especially a person of action who really shakes things up or who is outstanding in any way. The word was coined in the mid-1800s by combining rip, in the sense of "move with great speed or violence," as in "The getaway car ripped away from the scene," with snorter, a word for anything extraordinary. Adding rip to the front just made snorter all the more exciting! Humdinger has a similar meaning.
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.
Julia Roberts is the divine ripsnorter of weeping.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
A later action sequence has the choreography chops of a George Miller multi-vehicle ripsnorter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2018
“Memphis,” his instrumental version of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” was a rockabilly-blues ripsnorter with a scorching 12-bar solo.
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2016
The U. P. stuck to its guns and, when Mr. Roosevelt's next Neutrality move did come, had the satisfaction of noting that it was a moderate statement by Mr. Hull, not a Roosevelt ripsnorter.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Looks to me as though we're going to have a ripsnorter for Christmas," said Eric to his friend, Homer, the day before the festive season.
From The Boy With the U. S. Life-Savers by Francis Rolt-Wheeler
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
