rip

1 of 5

verb

ripped; ripping

transitive verb

1
a
: to tear or split apart or open
b
: to saw or split (wood) with the grain
2
: to slash or slit with or as if with a sharp blade
3
: to hit sharply
ripped a double to left field
4
: to utter violently : spit out
ripped out an oath
5

intransitive verb

1
: to become ripped : rend
2
: to rush headlong
ripped past second base

rip

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a rent made by ripping : tear
2

rip

3 of 5

noun (2)

1
: a body of water made rough by the meeting of opposing tides, currents, or winds
2
: a current of water roughened by passing over an irregular bottom
3

rip

4 of 5

noun (3)

: a dissolute person : libertine
1
[Latin requiescat in pace] may he rest in peace, may she rest in peace
2
[Latin requiescant in pace] may they rest in peace
Phrases
rip into
: to tear into : attack
Choose the Right Synonym for rip

tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive mean to separate forcibly.

tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

split implies a cutting or breaking apart in a continuous, straight, and usually lengthwise direction or in the direction of grain or layers.

split logs for firewood

cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

Examples of rip in a Sentence

Verb She ripped the fabric in half. He ripped open the package. The dog ripped the pillow to shreds. The force of the explosion ripped a hole in the wall. Her coat ripped when it caught on the doorknob. I ripped the poster off the wall. The sink had been ripped from the wall. He ripped the page out of the magazine. She ripped off her mask. He ripped the letter from my hands.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The sensation of ripping through six forward gears with the LT4’s stentorian roar echoing off of a canyon wall is one of the best in motoring. Kyle Hyatt, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 The white-sand beaches and crystal-blue waters along the coast are inviting, but some beaches have strong undercurrents and rip tides without the safety of lifeguards or even warnings about unsafe conditions, the embassy said. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 1 Mar. 2024 Drowning: Some beaches have strong undercurrents and rip tides. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Who would spend all that time and emotional energy writing a book if anyone could rip the thing off without consequence? Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024 Leaky Black ripped the ball away from Towns on his way to the basket to preserve the Hornets’ 10th victory of the season. Phil Ervin, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 The intense vacuum ripped the V-neck sweater and T-shirt from a 15-year-old in a window seat at the edge of the void, and sent his headset and cell phone flying into the evening sky. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024 And Utahns are buying up low-water grass seed and ripping out their lawns in a groundswell of involvement. Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Feb. 2024 Throughout the postgame news conference, Cronin ripped himself as much as his players. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
Noun
The rip to 60 mph is 2.7 seconds, and the task of stopping the land missile is aided by twin air brakes that pop up from the rear wings. Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024 Spend the $8 to keep your most important travel document protected from water damage, rips, and general wear and tear. Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2024 Please only donate bags in good shape, that have no rips, stains or broken zippers. Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 But Take Note One possible concern is the stitching; excessive or rough use of the suit may result in rips in the seams. Katrina Cossey, Parents, 12 Feb. 2024 The mattress is comfortable to sleep on and durable against rips and tears. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 9 Dec. 2023 The mattress proved durable against punctures, tears, and rips. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 9 Dec. 2023 Elsewhere on the eastern seaboard, the rip tides were deadly. Tonya Alanez, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023 Duct tape This strong, flexible and super-sticky problem-solver can be used to patch cracks, rips, tears and holes on garden hoses, trash cans, tarps, tennis shoes and more. Laura Daily, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English rippen, from or akin to Middle Dutch reppen, rippen to pull, jerk

Noun (2)

perhaps from rip entry 2

Noun (3)

perhaps by shortening & alteration from reprobate

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (3)

1781, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rip was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near rip

Cite this Entry

“Rip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rip. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rip

1 of 4 verb
ripped; ripping
1
: to tear, cut apart, or open
2
: to slash or slit with or as if with a sharp blade
3
: to go with a rush
ripper noun

rip

2 of 4 noun
: a torn place : tear

rip

3 of 4 noun
: a body of water made rough by the meeting of opposing currents or by passing over a rough bottom

rip

4 of 4 noun
: a person who acts wild or gets into trouble
Etymology

Noun

probably a shortened and altered form of reprobate (noun)

More from Merriam-Webster on rip

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