The Phrasal Verb 'Rip Off' Explained
- Phrasal Verbs Explained
- Nov 24, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 23, 2025
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'rip off' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
'Rip off' is an informal and relatively modern phrasal verb, whose roots ultimately go back to American prisons at the beginning of the twentieth century. Aside from its literal meaning, it has several idiomatic meanings that all derive from one central idea, which we will examine in this post. So, without further ado, let's get started....
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Click to jump to each one)
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THE BASICS
RIP OFF: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 4 |
Past tense forms | Ripped off / Ripped off |
Separable? | Yes |
Before we look at the individual phrasal verb meanings of 'rip off', let's first take a quick look at the meanings of the individual words 'rip' and 'off'.
'To rip' is a verb with several meanings, but the main meaning that most of you are likely to be familiar with already is 'to pull something apart by using force, often in a quick and careless manner' and is similar in meaning to the verb 'to tear'. It is used primarily when referring to thin materials that can be split or pulled apart, such as paper, clothes and plastic bags and is usually a form of damage. Furthermore, 'to rip' also started being used in American prisons at the beginning of the twentieth century to mean 'to steal' and this usage is one that features heavily in the phrasal verb meanings of 'rip off'.
We then have the prepositional particle 'off', which functions as the opposite of the preposition 'on' and has many different applications in English. When used as an adverb, 'off' can refer to something that is no longer contacting or touching a surface, or is no longer attached to something.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'rip off'....
MEANING 1: To remove by violently tearing
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To tear off |
Separable? | Yes |
The first meaning of 'rip off' is the literal meaning of the combination of the words 'rip' and 'off' that we have just looked at and is therefore 'to remove something in a violent manner, so that it is no longer attached'.
As with the main meaning of the verb 'to rip', the action of 'ripping off' is usually done in a quick and violent manner. However, in contrast to the meaning of the verb 'to rip', the action of 'ripping off' is often done in an intentional way, with the sole desire of removing or detaching something and it does not always mean that the item is damaged as a result. That being said, it can also be used to describe when something has been damaged and the result is that a part of an item has been ripped off.
Another way that 'rip off' is used in this way is in relation to a person's clothes. We can use 'rip off' with clothes when an item of clothing is pulled so much that it rips and is no longer able to be worn (think of the Incredible Hulk or Hulk Hogan).
Alternatively, we can also use 'rip off' to describe when a person removes their clothes (or someone else's) in a quick and hasty way, normally without damaging the clothes.
John ripped off a bit of paper towel to use to soak up the coffee that he had spilled.
My new sweater doesn't fit me and I can't return it to the shop as I have ripped off the label!
Roger and Helen ripped off each others' clothes in a moment of passion.
BONUS: To rip off the band aid
As you can probably imagine, this first meaning of 'rip off' can be used with band aids (plasters in UK) for when we need to remove one from our skin as quickly as possible so as not to prolong the pain and unpleasant feeling that removing a band aid can cause.
However, 'ripping off the band aid' has also developed to become an idiomatic expression to describe when we carry out a horrible but necessary action in a quick way, so that the pain and fear surrounding it is as short as possible. In other words, we do something necessary, yet unpleasant, as quickly as possible so it is out of the way.
It will be horrible confessing to your wife that you have lost your wedding ring but you just need to rip off the bandaid and get it over with!
MEANING 2: To steal something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Rare |
Where is it used? | American English |
Potential synonyms | To steal, to pinch, to nick, to knock off |
Separable? | Yes |
The second meaning of 'rip off' is to steal something. This is perhaps the rarest of the meanings of this phrasal verb that we will cover, however it provides the basis for the others that will follow and so logically it works better here.
As you may recall from earlier in the post, the verb 'to rip' has been used in American prison slang to mean 'to steal' since the early twentieth century. The phrasal verb form 'rip off' then developed and evolved from this during the 1960s in African American vernacular to mean to steal from, or also to swindle or cheat, someone.
For this usage, we use 'rip off' with a direct object, which is the item that is stolen, and this can go either between 'rip' and 'off' or after them without changing the meaning.
John has just ripped off a couple of cans of lager from the local store.
The seasoned criminals casually went into the boutique and ripped a pair of designer shoes off without the staff noticing.
MEANING 3: To overcharge someone
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To overcharge |
Separable? | Yes |
The third meaning of the phrasal verb 'rip off' is an informal usage that means 'to charge someone too much money for a product or service'.
The idea behind this meaning links back to the previous one of theft that we have just looked at, however it develops this idea further to encapsulate the concepts of 'cheating' or 'swindling' someone by fraudulent methods. In modern English, when we say that someone has been 'ripped off', we mean that the person has paid too much money for a product or service and therefore they have been cheated or exploited by the vendor.
Another way that this can be used is not when a person has been charged too much money for a product, but rather when the product that has been sold is broken or damaged in some way, thus continuing this central idea of cheating the buyer.
Grammatically, when we use 'rip off' in this way, the victim of the cheating activity is the direct object and can go between or after 'rip' and 'off' as a proper noun or between them only as a pronoun.
How much did you pay?! You've been well and truly ripped off!
If you pay more than $5 for a loaf of bread, then you are being ripped off.
The taxi driver rips tourists off all the time as they do not know their way around the city.
I bought a new car last week but I think I have been ripped off as it has a lot of problems and faults that the seller did not tell me about.
MEANING 4: To copy someone's work
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To plagiarise, to copy |
Separable? | Yes |
Our fourth and final usage of 'rip off' is to 'copy someone's work', generally with the intention of presenting it as your own work. This can be in the form of written words, ideas, concepts or designs, however regardless of the form that it takes, the general concept is that one person's work has been imitated or copied, normally without their permission.
Again, this takes us back to the root concept of 'theft', as this is essentially one person or company stealing the ideas and work from somebody else.
As soon as I heard this new song, I could tell that the artist had ripped off an older song and didn't think that anyone would notice!
Hey! Stop ripping off my work and think for yourself for a change!
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'rip off'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'rip off'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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THE END
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