# rip off

Pronunciation: US say "rip-AWF" /ˌɹɪp ˈɔf/; UK say "rip-OF" /ˌɹɪp ˈɒf/; AUS

## Phrasal verb

1. To cheat or swindle someone, especially by charging a price that is far too high or unfair. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To cheat someone, especially by making them pay much too much.
   - _Drivers who rip off tourists can lose their taxi licenses._
   - _The repair shop ripped off dozens of customers with charges for work it never did._
4. To copy something, especially illegally or without permission. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To copy someone else's work or idea, often illegally.
   - _The startup ripped off its rival's design almost line for line._
   - _Young bands often rip off the riffs of the guitarists they admire._
5. To pull something off by ripping or tearing it away.
   - Simple: To pull something off by tearing it.
   - _The nurse told him to rip off the bandage in one quick pull._
   - _The storm ripped off part of the barn roof and scattered the shingles._
7. To steal. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To steal something.
   - _Somebody ripped off my bike while I was inside buying groceries._
   - _The burglars managed to rip off two laptops and a television before the alarm went off._

## Noun · rip-off

Pronunciation: US say "RIP-awf" /ˈɹɪp ɔf/; UK say "RIP-of" /ˈɹɪp ɒf/

2. A bad deal; a price or rate that is unfair or far too high.
   - Simple: Something that costs far too much, or a bad deal.
   - _The airport charges twelve dollars for a sandwich, which is a total rip-off._
   - _Shoppers who compare plans often find that the extended warranties are rip-offs._
3. A copy of something, especially one that is illegal or of poor quality.
   - Simple: A copy of something, often a cheap or illegal one.
   - _The handbag looked like a designer piece, but it was a cheap rip-off sold on the street._
   - _Critics dismissed the movie as a shameless rip-off of a much better thriller._
6. A scam: a dishonest scheme for cheating people.
   - Simple: A trick to cheat people.
   - _The free-cruise phone call turned out to be a rip-off designed to collect credit card numbers._
   - _The investment club was a rip-off from the start, and its organizers vanished with the money._
8. A theft or robbery.
   - Simple: An act of stealing or robbing.
   - _Police suspect the jewelry store rip-off was an inside job._
   - _Nobody was hurt in the rip-off, but the thieves got away with the night's cash._

## Origin

A deverbal noun from the verb rip off.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rip-off (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).