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rip off

B1 informal separable transitive
In simple words

To cheat someone out of their money, to steal someone's idea, or to pull something off roughly.

Literal meaning: To rip something off a surface — remove it forcefully.

Meanings

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."

Grammar: separable
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."

Grammar: separable
3 A2 neutral

To remove something from a surface quickly and forcefully.

"He ripped off the bandage in one quick movement."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

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.

Commonly used with

tourists customers consumers idea song label

Forms

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

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