1 B2 idiomatic slang
To perform with exceptional energy, skill, and excitement.
"The guitarist ripped it up at the festival — the crowd went wild."
rip it up
B2 informal intransitive
To perform or behave with extreme energy, skill, and enthusiasm, often at a party, concert, or competition; sometimes also means to discard a plan and start fresh.
In plain English
To do something really impressively and with a lot of energy, OR to throw away old plans and begin again.
What does "rip it up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To discard existing plans, rules, or a system and start completely from scratch.
"The new director decided to rip it up and completely redesign the curriculum."
“
Rip It Up and Start Again.
— Simon Reynolds, book title, 2005; also 'Rip It Up' by Orange Juice (song, 1982)
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To rip 'it' (an unspecified thing) into pieces — used idiomatically to mean destroying the old or performing wildly.
Actually means
To do something really impressively and with a lot of energy, OR to throw away old plans and begin again.
Usage tip
The performance/energy sense is very common in youth and music culture — 'she ripped it up on stage'. The 'start fresh' sense is also common: 'let's rip it up and start again' (made famous by the Orange Juice song). 'It' is fixed — you cannot substitute another pronoun.
Words that pair with "rip it up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
stage dance floor pitch court plan rulebook
How to conjugate "rip it up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rip it up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rips it up
he/she/it
Past simple
riped it up
yesterday
Past participle
riped it up
have + pp
-ing form
riping it up
continuous
Hear "rip it up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rip it up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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