RIPPING OFF Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words

ripping off

verb

present participle of rip off

as in robbing

to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully the teens ripped off the store where they had been working for the summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in stealing

to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep the thief ripped off some jewelry as soon as no one was looking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cheating

to rob by the use of trickery or threats an investigation revealed that a whole slew of suppliers had been ripping off the defense department

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ripping off This isn’t the first time Musk has been accused of ripping off the smaller companies that helped build his business empire. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Aug. 2026 James missed three games early in March, the Lakers ripping off wins against Indiana, New York and Minnesota without him. — Dan Woike, New York Times, 26 July 2026 And yet scores of interlopers have dropped by the page in order to try and score a miracle — or even have more nefarious plans of ripping off cinephiles. — William Earl, Variety, 20 July 2026 Even David Ben-Gurion was more concerned with ripping off as much land as possible. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026 Those straight-line winds can be incredibly destructive, ripping off roofs, snapping trees, knocking out power, and in stronger cases, reaching over 100 miles an hour. — Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 12 July 2026 The small pockets of Egyptian fans in the stadium went absolutely berserk, jumping and ripping off their shirts as their team went bonkers below them. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026 George Lopez and Joe Rogan are among those to accuse Mencia of ripping off their material, with Rogan and Mencia even once getting into a public confrontation over the matter. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026 Instead of ripping off his shirt, or wildly gesticulating, McTominay ran to the edge of the pitch with his hands facing down and his lips pursed. — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 16 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripping off

Verb

The backlash against hyperscale data centers has converted both Democrats and Republicans into AI skeptics, warning that the industry’s rise risks robbing communities of autonomy.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
His grand-slam-robbing catch was also flagged by the league as the play of the week.

— Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of robbing

Verb

Moments before, with Wells still at the plate and the Yankees leading 7-1, Flemming and color analyst Will Middlebrooks vented about Chisholm stealing second base and third base during the at-bat.

— Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
After spending 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean is being released a hardened man.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of stealing

Verb

In this case, the reward was solving the ExploitGym questions and the hacking was literally hacking—cheating on the test and then hacking into Hugging Face in an effort to cover up the cheating (more on that below).

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
The Model 3 and Model Y adopted less elaborate press-and-pivot handles, helping give the cars their clean, wind-cheating profiles.

— Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

In the distance, a toddler in a matching Nike outfit literally leaped into the arms of a crying woman, perhaps a grandmother, squeezing tightly for a hug.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
The floods will likely change that outlook, squeezing a country that’s heavily dependent on tourism while forcing a costly period of reconstruction.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

The streamer has found its leading lady for the biopic, plucking an unknown first-timer to play the sertanejo icon.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
Dramatic photos taken from the scene show a firefighter on a tower ladder plucking a panicked child from a fire escape.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of plucking

Verb

The bugs, particularly ticks, ants, mosquitoes and stinging insects, are going to take full advantage thanks to warmer temperatures, according to the National Pest Management Associations (NPMA)'s biannual Bug Barometer®.

— Alora Bopray, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
The breakthrough clue was its cnidocysts, specialized cells found in invertebrates such as jellyfish and corals that contain their stinging bits.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of stinging

Browse Nearby Words

ripping

ripping off

ripping (out)

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“Ripping off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripping%20off. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ripping off

verb

Example Sentences

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