1
: manipulated or controlled by deceptive or dishonest means
a rigged election
Attempts to pass a rigged repatriation bill are exhibit A of what enrages Americans about Washington and Wall Street.—
Brent Budowsky
Brent BudowskyHis reluctance stemmed not from a lack of mercy but from his sense that pardons were a rigged game, tilted in favor of offenders with political connections.—Massimo Calabresi et al.
Massimo Calabresi et al.2
: fitted out with rigging of a specified kind
The Cornish lugger was a small, two-masted, fore-and-aft rigged boat.—Mark Kurlansky
Mark KurlanskyWhen she enters service in the fall of 1999, only the second five-masted full rigged ship ever built, she will bear the moniker of "the largest true sailing ship afloat today."—Kevin Haydon
Kevin HaydonExamples of rigged in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Democracies are falling prey to competitive authoritarianism, in which the trappings of democracy, such as elections, opposition parties and news media still exist, but the system is so rigged that the regime doesn’t have to deliver to stay in power.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 12 Mar. 2025
What is most interesting, perhaps, is the seeming indifference that exists for what is essentially a rigged game.
—Chris Groshong, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
But by the end, Alyssa’s woo-woo outlook seems as reasonable as Dreux’s more traditional attempts to get ahead, when the game is so rigged that every wrong move seems to incur a lifetime penalty.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025
But many Democrats saw the move as fueling the kind of arguments of a rigged and unfair system that have been pushed by Trump.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 6 Dec. 2024
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Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 12 Mar. 2025
What is most interesting, perhaps, is the seeming indifference that exists for what is essentially a rigged game.
—Chris Groshong, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
But by the end, Alyssa’s woo-woo outlook seems as reasonable as Dreux’s more traditional attempts to get ahead, when the game is so rigged that every wrong move seems to incur a lifetime penalty.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025
But many Democrats saw the move as fueling the kind of arguments of a rigged and unfair system that have been pushed by Trump.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 6 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rigged
Cite this Entry
“Rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigged. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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