1 B1 idiomatic informal
To cheat someone by charging too much money or stealing from them.
"That souvenir shop totally ripped me off — I paid £20 for a keyring."
separable
rip off
B1 informal separable transitive
To cheat someone by charging too much or stealing from them; to copy someone's idea or work without permission; or to remove something quickly and forcefully.
In plain English
To cheat someone out of their money, to steal someone's idea, or to pull something off roughly.
What does "rip off" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To steal or copy someone else's idea, work, or style without permission.
"Critics accused the band of ripping off a classic 1970s guitar riff."
separable
3 A2 neutral
To remove something from a surface quickly and forcefully.
"He ripped off the bandage in one quick movement."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To rip something off a surface — remove it forcefully.
Actually means
To cheat someone out of their money, to steal someone's idea, or to pull something off roughly.
Usage tip
The 'cheat' and 'overcharge' senses are the most common and appear across all English-speaking regions. The noun 'rip-off' (hyphenated) is extremely common and means a scam or overpriced item. The 'copy' sense is widely used in discussions of intellectual property.
Words that pair with "rip off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
tourists customers consumers idea song label
How to conjugate "rip off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rip off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rips off
he/she/it
Past simple
riped off
yesterday
Past participle
riped off
have + pp
-ing form
riping off
continuous
Hear "rip off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rip off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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