1
as in tears
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the dog ripped the sleeve of my shirt by grabbing it with his teeth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in slits
to penetrate with a sharp edge (as a knife)
you can see where someone ripped the painting with a penknife
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rushes
to proceed or move quickly
the car went ripping down the road
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in grabs
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
rip a sheet off the pad of paper
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as in perverts
a person who has sunk below the normal moral standard
something of a rip in his youth, he eventually settled down
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rips
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
In the clip, Oshry, who welcomed her first son Reuben, with her husband, Ben Soffer, in May, reaches into her fridge to grab a head of cabbage, then rips open her animal-print bathrobe to show a compression bra stuffed with cabbage leaves.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025
Rare breakthrough cases in partially or fully vaccinated people are more likely to happen during a large outbreak, according to epidemiologists, because so many become exposed as the virus rips through unvaccinated people.
—Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2025
Wind gusts will likely take aim at the 40 mph range on Wednesday as a cold front rips through.
—Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
As the storm rips across the state, portions of the desert including Death Valley National Park, Eastern Mojave Desert, Owens Valley and San Bernardino County-Upper Colorado River Valley will be under a flood watch.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Nov. 2025
The seventh-gen Mantra M7 still rips, but it’s finally figured out how to have a little fun, too.
—Marina Knight, Outside, 17 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … CRIME MAGNET – Washington Post rips Democratic Socialist's costly bus proposal for New Yorkers.
—FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2025
The Meadow Vista Community Center, located at 1101 Meadow Vista Road, could also serve as an evacuation site if a fire rips through the area, residents said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Gena Kaufman, InStyle, 30 Dec. 2025
Old bath, hand, or face towels with rips, tears, or stains that won’t budge can be repurposed for cleaning, drying the dog after a muddy walk, or even donated to a local animal shelter.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2025
Check for stains, fading, rips, odors, and mold before bagging up these items.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2025
Wang's collaborative creation with other Santa Fe artists, visitors will stumble upon an unsuspecting Victorian home that becomes a site of wonder when a forceful blip rips through the metaphysics of time and space.
—Malik Peay, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Yeah, sure, there’s a whole load of DVD rips and that kind of thing, which is fine.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Nov. 2025
Before-and-after photos first shared on social media by Marilyn Monroe historian and collector Scott Fortner showed that the dress had signs of damage, including missing crystals and several small rips along the zipper seam.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
This season, designers at New York Fashion Week spring 2026 shows turned the fabric into a moving canvas — giving it the high-design treatment with experimental silhouettes, dazzling embellishments and old-school rips.
—Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025
Trump’s reset rips it back to its DNA.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
Eleven flies up to be face-to-face with the Mind Flayer, rips out his throat, jumps inside, and in one sleek-as-hell move, rips Vecna down from the Mind Flayer power source he’s been plugged into.
—Noun
Aim for classic shades of blue denim without rips or embellishments.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for rips
Verb
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This is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings.—
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These bags keep the items from experiencing friction that tears at the fibers.—
Verb
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The woman who later identified herself as Good's partner rushes to the Honda Pilot.—
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Denver’s defense rushes the passer as well as any other team in the league.—
Verb
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But as the ball arrives the defender grabs the jersey with the right hand and pulls the defender down.—
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As one officer grabs at her door handle, a third officer who had circled to the front of the SUV from the opposite side draws his gun.—
Verb
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The chicken shreds beautifully in this dish, and the vegetables become soft and tender.—
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Extreme weather at the poles stresses crucial moss and lichen, and shreds entire habitats in hours.—
Verb
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Place slices in a dry skillet over medium heat.—
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Place slices 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.—
Verb
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Jackson scurries 14 yards up the middle for a first down.—
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The older dog is shown marching along, while the puppy scurries along, attempting to match its pace.—
Verb
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Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.—
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Suddenly, someone in the audience yanks her violently into the screaming mass of people.—
Verb
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At some point, Alice slashes the tires on Rachel’s car.—
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There, Constance slashes her face with a knife.—
Cite this Entry
“Rips.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rips. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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