Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

rip1

Pronunciation: /rɪp/

Translate rip | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of rip

verb (rips, ripping, ripped)

  • 1 [with object and adverbial of direction] tear or pull (something) quickly or forcibly away from something or someone:a fan tried to rip his trousers off during a show figurativecountries ripped apart by fighting
  • [with object] make a long tear or cut in:you’ve ripped my jacket
  • [with object] make (a hole) by force:the truck was struck by lightning and had a hole ripped out of its roof
  • [no object] come violently apart; tear:the skirt of her frock ripped
  • 2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] move forcefully and rapidly:fire ripped through her bungalow
  • 3 [with object] Computing use a program to copy (material from a CD or DVD) on to a computer’s hard drive.

noun

  • 1a long tear or cut: there was a rip in his sweatshirt
  • [in singular] an act of tearing something forcibly: he seemed to be saying with each rip of a page—how dare she enjoy reading books?
  • 2North American informal a fraud or swindle; a rip-off.

Phrases

let rip

informal
do something vigorously or without restraint:the brass sections let rip with sheer gusto
express oneself vehemently or angrily: Charlie felt he had suffered enough insults and suddenly let rip

let something rip

informal
allow something, especially a vehicle, to go at full speed: we’ll get on to the motorway and let her rip
allow something to happen forcefully or without interference:once she started a tirade, it was best to let it rip
utter or express something forcefully and noisily:when I passed the exam I let rip a ‘yippee’

Phrasal Verbs

rip into

informal make a vehement verbal attack on:he ripped into me just for going into the caravan

rip someone off

informal cheat someone, especially financially:she thought he was ripping her off over her royalties

rip something off

steal or plagiarize something:they have ripped off £6.7 billion the film is a shameless collection of ideas ripped off from other movies

rip something up

tear something violently into small pieces so as to destroy it:he ripped up her pile of old letters

Origin:

late Middle English (as a verb): of unknown origin; compare with the verb reap. The noun dates from the early 18th century

rip in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of rip in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

Word of the day

synodic

/ sɪˈnɒdɪk /
adjective
relating to or involving the conjunction of celestial objects …