rip off

2 meanings

Meanings
  1. 1 charge someone much more money than is fair B2
  2. 2 cheat someone by charging too much money B2
1 rip sb off

charge someone much more money than is fair

B2

What does "rip off" mean in this sense?

To rip someone off means to charge them a wildly unfair price, or to swindle them out of money in some way. It doesn't require an elaborate trick — even a restaurant that charges €15 for a bottle of water is ripping its customers off. The phrase captures a sense of injustice and indignation: the victim usually feels cheated and angry about it. It's most at home in casual conversation, social media posts, and online reviews, and would sound out of place in a formal complaint letter or legal document. The related noun 'rip-off' is equally common — you'll often hear people say 'That's a complete rip-off!' instead of using the verb.

Examples

How to use it

rip off + person

The most straightforward pattern, where the person who is overcharged or swindled follows the particle as a direct object.

That souvenir shop rips off tourists every single day.

rip + pronoun + off

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle — placing it after 'off' sounds unnatural.

The mechanic ripped us off — the repair should have cost half that much.

rip + noun object + off

With noun objects, the object can also go between the verb and the particle, which is a common alternative to the unseparated form.

That market trader ripped the customers off with his fake 'designer' watches.

get ripped off

The passive with 'get' is very natural and frequently used, especially when someone is describing their own experience of being overcharged.

I got ripped off at the airport exchange desk — the rate was terrible.

feel ripped off

This construction expresses the emotional result of being swindled — the frustration and sense of injustice that follows.

She really felt ripped off after paying €50 for a basic lunch with no view.

Common Collocations

touristscustomerstaxi driverfeel ripped offget ripped offtotal rip-off

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placement

When the object is a pronoun (me, us, him, her, them), it must go between 'rip' and 'off'. Placing it after the particle is not natural in English.

✗ They ripped off us completely.
✓ They ripped us off completely.
Confusing 'rip off' with 'con'

'Con' implies a deliberate trick or scheme to deceive someone, while 'rip off' can simply mean charging an unfairly high price — no complex deception needed. They're similar but not always interchangeable.

✗ That café conned me by charging €8 for a coffee.
✓ That café ripped me off by charging €8 for a coffee.
Using it in formal writing

'Rip off' is informal and doesn't belong in formal letters, reports, or legal documents. In those contexts, use 'overcharge', 'defraud', or 'swindle' instead.

✗ The company was found to have ripped off its clients over a period of five years.
✓ The company was found to have defrauded its clients over a period of five years.

Usage

This phrasal verb is informal and suits everyday speech, online reviews, and complaints. In formal writing, use 'overcharge' or 'defraud' instead. The noun form 'rip-off' is also very common and useful (e.g. 'What a rip-off!').

2 rip sb off

cheat someone by charging too much money

B2

Sense 2: What does "rip sb off" mean?

To rip off someone's idea or work means to copy or steal it without permission or credit, typically in a way that feels brazen or disrespectful. It's most often used in creative contexts — music, design, film, fashion, tech — where someone takes another person's original concept and presents it as their own. The phrase carries a strong sense of injustice or outrage, making it more forceful than simply saying 'copy'. You'll hear it a lot in everyday conversation, on social media, and in journalism covering plagiarism or copyright disputes. In formal legal or academic writing, words like 'plagiarise' or 'infringe' would be used instead.

Examples

How to use it

subject + rip off + creative work

The most common pattern, used when accusing someone of copying an idea, design, or other creative work.

That new fashion brand completely ripped off a small designer's entire aesthetic.

subject + rip + creative work + off

Separation is natural and common when the object is a short noun phrase, especially with intensifiers.

They blatantly ripped the whole concept off without even changing the name.

subject + rip + pronoun + off

When referring back to a creative work already mentioned, the pronoun must go between the verb and the particle.

We came up with the logo first — they totally ripped it off.

creative work + be + ripped off + (by + subject)

The passive is very natural, especially when the focus is on the original work or creator rather than the person doing the copying.

The original soundtrack was shamelessly ripped off by a major studio months after its release.

noun: a rip-off (of + original work)

The noun form 'rip-off' is widely used to describe something that copies or imitates an original too closely.

That film is a total rip-off of a cult classic from the nineties.

Common Collocations

ideadesignsongconceptstyleartwork

Common Mistakes

Pronoun placed after the particle

When the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between 'rip' and 'off', not after 'off'. Placing the pronoun after the particle is ungrammatical in English.

✗ They liked our concept, so they ripped off it.
✓ They liked our concept, so they ripped it off.
Confusing the two meanings of 'rip off'

When the object is a creative work or idea, 'rip off' means to copy or steal it. When the object is a person, it means to cheat or overcharge them financially — a completely different sense. Make sure your sentence makes clear which meaning you intend.

✗ They ripped off our designer. (ambiguous — could mean they cheated her financially)
✓ They ripped off our designer's concept. (clearly means they copied it)
Using 'rip off' in very formal writing about plagiarism

'Rip off' is informal and suits conversation, social media, or journalism well, but in formal academic or legal contexts, 'plagiarise', 'infringe', or 'misappropriate' are more appropriate.

✗ The defendant ripped off the claimant's intellectual property. (too informal for legal writing)
✓ The defendant misappropriated the claimant's intellectual property.

Usage

This phrasal verb is informal and very common in creative industries and everyday conversation. In formal writing about plagiarism or copyright, use 'plagiarise' or 'copy' instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'rip off' always mean overcharging, or does it have other meanings?

This particular sense is specifically about charging someone too much or swindling them financially. However, 'rip off' does have other meanings — such as stealing something or tearing a physical object away — and those are covered separately on this platform. In all cases, context makes the meaning clear.

What's the difference between 'get ripped off' and 'be ripped off'?

'Get ripped off' is more informal and much more common in everyday speech and writing. 'Be ripped off' is slightly more neutral and can appear in slightly more formal contexts, but both are grammatically correct. In conversation and online reviews, 'get ripped off' is the natural choice.

Can 'rip off' be used without an object?

No — in this sense, 'rip off' always needs a person as its object, because someone has to be the victim of the overcharging. You can't just say 'they ripped off' and stop there. The object can be a pronoun ('ripped us off') or a noun ('ripped the tourists off').

Is 'rip-off' the same as the phrasal verb?

The noun 'rip-off' (written with a hyphen) comes from the same phrasal verb and shares the same meaning. It's extremely common — often more natural than the verb in certain situations. For example, people frequently say 'That's a total rip-off!' to describe an unfairly expensive product or service.

Can I use 'totally' with 'rip off'?

Yes — 'totally' is one of the strongest and most natural intensifiers with this phrasal verb. 'They totally ripped us off' or 'I was totally ripped off' both sound very natural and are common in everyday speech and informal writing.

Does 'rip off' always mean to copy someone's work?

No — 'rip off' has more than one meaning. In this sense, the object is always a creative work or idea (a design, song, concept, etc.). When the object is a person, it typically means to cheat or overcharge them financially. A separate entry on this platform covers that sense.

Can I use intensifiers like 'blatantly' or 'completely' with 'rip off'?

Yes, and they're actually very common with this phrasal verb. Words like 'blatantly', 'shamelessly', 'totally', and 'completely' emphasise how obvious or audacious the copying was. You'll hear and read them regularly: 'They completely ripped off our idea' or 'She shamelessly ripped off the original design'.

What kinds of things can be 'ripped off'?

In this sense, the object should always be something creative or intellectual — a song, design, logo, film concept, app, artwork, brand identity, or similar. You cannot use this sense with a person as the object. If you want to say someone copied a person's whole style, you'd say something like 'they ripped off her entire look'.

Is 'rip-off' as a noun related to this phrasal verb?

Yes, exactly. 'Rip-off' (with a hyphen) is the noun form of this phrasal verb and is very widely used. You can say 'That logo is a total rip-off of theirs' or 'The whole film felt like a rip-off of a better movie'. It's just as informal as the verb form.

Can 'rip off' be used in the passive in this meaning?

Yes — the passive is actually very natural here, especially when the speaker wants to highlight what was stolen or express outrage as the original creator. For example: 'Our entire campaign was ripped off by a rival within weeks of launching.' The passive puts the focus on the work that was copied rather than on the person who copied it.

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