rig

[ rig ]

verb (used with object)

, rigged, rig·ging.

1. Chiefly Nautical.
   1. to put in proper order for working or use.
   2. to fit (a ship, mast, etc.) with the necessary shrouds, stays, etc.
   3. to fit (shrouds, stays, sails, etc.) to the mast, yard, or the like.
2. to manipulate fraudulently:

   Two leading companies in the industry were fined for rigging prices.

3. to assemble, install, or prepare (often followed by up ).
4. to furnish or provide with equipment, clothing, etc.; fit (usually followed by out or up ):

   The ground crew rigged us out in leather helmets and bomber jackets.

noun

1. the arrangement of the masts, spars, sails, etc., on a boat or ship.
2. apparatus for some purpose; equipment; outfit; gear:

   Bring your rod and reel and all the rest of your fishing rig.

   This other PC over here is my main gaming rig.

3. Also called drill rig. the equipment used in drilling an oil well.
4. any combination trucking unit in which vehicles are hooked together, as a tractor-trailer.
5. any kind of truck.
6. a carriage, buckboard, sulky, or wagon together with the horse or horses that draw it.
7. Informal. costume or dress, especially when odd or conspicuous, or when designated for a particular purpose:

   He looks quite nifty in a butler's rig.

verb phrase

1. to equip or set up for use.
2. Nautical. to place in an inactive state, stowing all lines, tackles, and other removable parts.

rig

¹

/ rɪɡ /

noun

1. dialect.
   a ridge or raised strip of unploughed land in a ploughed field

rig

²

/ rɪɡ /

verb

1. nautical to equip (a vessel, mast, etc) with (sails, rigging, etc)
2. nautical to set up or prepare ready for use
3. to put the components of (an aircraft, etc) into their correct positions
4. to manipulate in a fraudulent manner, esp for profit

   to rig an election

   to rig prices

noun

1. nautical the distinctive arrangement of the sails, masts, and other spars of a vessel
2. the installation used in drilling for and exploiting natural oil and gas deposits In fulldrilling rig

   an oil rig

3. apparatus or equipment; gear
4. an amateur radio operator's transmitting and receiving set
5. a carriage together with one or more horses
6. an articulated lorry

Other Words From

• outrig verb (used with object) outrigged outrigging
• over·rigged adjective
• under·rigged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rig¹

First recorded in 1480–90; 1930–35 rig fordef 2; probably from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish rigg (noun), rigga (verb)

Word History and Origins

Origin of rig¹

a variant of ridge

Origin of rig²

C15: from Scandinavian; related to Norwegian rigga to wrap

Example Sentences

I’m building my 2003 Toyota Sequoia into an overlanding rig and wanted something that would hold my phone securely and display my screen while I navigated bumpy dirt roads.

From Outside Online

The global oil market collapsed and California producers idled rigs, costing thousands of oil workers their livelihoods.

From ProPublica

So we teamed up with Honda Talon, the ultimate family adventure rig, to create The Family Guide to Getting Outside—in an-depth and interactive article full of everything from easy-to-pull-off weeknight escapes to epic week-long road trips.

From Outside Online

Given the ailing state of the oil industry, especially after the pandemic, it’s likely there will be rigs to be had for cheap.

From Singularity Hub 

That platform, called Odyssey, is a modified oil rig, but hasn’t seen a launch since 2014 and was relocated from Long Beach, California to Russia’s eastern seaboard earlier this year.

From Singularity Hub 

A tugboat improbably sits high on the bank, obscured by tall grass, a broken oil rig hangs over the water nearby.

From The Daily Beast

Blue Book on this rig is about $750,000, and we got it for nothing.

From The Daily Beast

The son walked alongside the fire rig that bore the flag-covered coffin.

From The Daily Beast

You do that to a certain extent with performance capture by the way you calibrate the model of Caesar—or the rig, as we call it.

From The Daily Beast

What if a wind turbine could help make an oil rig work more efficiently?

From The Daily Beast

Eve looked very pretty in her skating rig, and she was a splendid skater, too.

From Project Gutenberg

Smith: No, my lud—ve're the rig'lar chimbly sveeps vot sveeps his ludship's chimblys.

From Project Gutenberg

The rig drew up with a rush in front of the gate, and the two officers dropped out.

From Project Gutenberg

Instead of using the doctor's rig for the return to town, the officers appropriated the red roadster.

From Project Gutenberg

She hired a rig of a livery-stable keeper, who said he could not possibly take her beyond the Indian agency.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• machinery