rip 1 of 3

verb

ˈrip How to pronounce rip (audio)
Definition of ripnext
1
as in to tear
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it the dog ripped the sleeve of my shirt by grabbing it with his teeth

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2
as in to slit
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife) you can see where someone ripped the painting with a penknife

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3
as in to fly
to proceed or move quickly the car went ripping down the road

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to yank
to separate or remove by forceful pulling rip a sheet off the pad of paper

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

rip

2 of 3

noun (1)

as in tear
a long deep cut the hoe left rips in the lawn

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rip

3 of 3

noun (2)

as in pervert
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard something of a rip in his youth, he eventually settled down

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rip different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of rip are cleave, rend, rive, split, and tear. While all these words mean "to separate forcibly," rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

When might cleave be a better fit than rip?

The synonyms cleave and rip are sometimes interchangeable, but cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

When can rend be used instead of rip?

While the synonyms rend and rip are close in meaning, rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

When could rive be used to replace rip?

Although the words rive and rip have much in common, rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

In what contexts can split take the place of rip?

While in some cases nearly identical to rip, 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

Where would tear be a reasonable alternative to rip?

In some situations, the words tear and rip are roughly equivalent. However, tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

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 rip
Verb
And one protester had his sign ripped out of his hand, prompting others to jump in between the two men. — Christina Merino, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2025 Trump ripped Powell on Truth Social shortly before the Fed chief was set to deliver remarks to a business journalism conference, urging him to cut rates and accusing him of playing politics with the economy. — Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
In Comedy ‘Old Pals’; Neon Launching For EFM Written and directed by Meyer, the film follows Frankie (Stewart) and Molly (Shawkat), codependent best friends living paycheck to paycheck and bong rip to bong rip, when a case of mistaken identity throws their lives into chaos. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Feb. 2025 So when Federal developed a rip from too much affection, Mom sent him to a farm upstate to play with the other dinosaurs. — Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for rip
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rip
  1. tear
  2. slit
  3. fly
  4. yank
  5. slice
  6. hurry
  7. grab
  8. slash
Verb
  • Hill is currently healing from tearing a ligament in his wrist in the 2024 season, but all signs are pointing to the star receiver remaining with the Dolphins at least through the 2025 season.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
  • With the Rays playing their 2025 home slate at the open-air Steinbrenner Field, after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off their own Tropicana Field in October, weather will now be a factor in everything from concessions to groundskeeping in a way the team has never managed before.
    — Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of tear
Verb
  • Then, fearing he'd be blamed, Tripp stole a knife from the office of pastry chef Didier Gotthard (Bronson Pinchot) and used it to slit A.B.'s wrists in order to make his death look more like a suicide.
    — Megan McCluskey, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Heat is then directed upward and outward via outlet slits on the card edges to reduce the recirculation of heated air.
    — John Burek, PCMAG, 20 Jan. 2025
Definition of slit
Verb
  • Six women will fly to space on the Blue Origin Rocket: former television anchor and fiancée of Jeff Bezos Lauren Sánchez, CBS journalist Gayle King, singer Katy Perry, civil rights activist and scientist Amanda Nguyen, movie producer Kerianna Flynn, and aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe.
    — Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Apr. 2025
  • General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet and remain in the air for more than 30 hours.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of fly
Verb
  • Two nights after being yanked in the first period in Tampa Bay, Jarry again was pulled after allowing four goals, this time on 12 shots.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • President Donald Trump’s decision to yank the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is the latest sign Republicans have a special election problem.
    — W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of yank
Verb
  • Three men wearing ski masks, dark clothing and gloves had used power tools to slice open a hole in the museum’s door, crawl in and smash glass cabinets to steal the white pomegranate vase, as well as a porcelain bowl and doucai-style wine cup, also from the imperial Ming dynasty.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Expect classic Swiss mountain fare, including an array of sausages, sliced veal Zurich-style in a cream sauce with mushrooms, homemade pâtés, terrines pates, and beef tartare.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of slice
Verb
  • The deals are on now and are good until April 14, so hurry and upgrade your Microsoft Office system today.
    — Nora Colomer, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Listen to this article Mayor Adams on Monday urged the judge presiding over his public corruption case to hurry up and decide on outstanding dismissal motions before upcoming deadlines in the mayoral race.
    — Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of hurry
Verb
  • At one point, police said, the couple stopped and became involved in a verbal altercation, and the man allegedly grabbed her by the neck and strangled her.
    — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
  • The teacher showed up unannounced at the student's home on Wednesday and requested that the child grab the missing homework assignment, the family said.
    — Landon Mion, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025
Definition of grab
Verb
  • Big studios have slashed budgets, making life for production crews more financially precarious.
    — Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The vacuum, which is typically priced at $450, has been slashed to just $300 at Amazon.
    — Amy Schulman, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of slash

Phrases Containing rip

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rip
ripe
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Cite this Entry

“Rip.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rip. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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