ripoff

or rip-off

[ rip-awf, -of ]

noun

, Slang.

1. an act or instance of ripping off another or others; a theft, cheat, or swindle.
2. exploitation, especially of those who cannot prevent or counter it.
3. a copy or imitation.
4. a person who rips off another or others; thief or swindler.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ripoff¹

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase rip off

Example Sentences

Recently, he described this as "possibly the greatest organised ripoff perpetrated on the British people".

From BBC

Most thrillingly, Peacock is doing its own ripoff of NFL RedZone, called Gold Zone, in which it’ll offer live whip-around coverage of “every event happening at a given time,” NBC says.

From Slate

The CFA’s campaign to preserve item-level pricing and slow barcode adoption got national attention, and other consumer organizations began publishing pamphlets about barcodes with titles like “A New Supermarket Ripoff.”

From Slate

Add to this the knowledge I discovered while researching my “Roofing Ripoff” book exposing the shingle industry.

From Seattle Times

The billionaire owner of the Oakland A’s ripped off his home-team fans and is staging a ripoff of Las Vegas, showing that civic leaders never learn that stadium subsidies never pay off.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• rip-off
• swindle