rip
When something rips, it tears and it becomes damaged. This word is very similar to the word “tear.”
- He ripped his shirt. (He tore his shirt.)
- She’s ripping the paper in half. (She’s tearing the paper in half.)
- Rip me off a piece of that. (Tear me off a piece of that.)
- There’s a rip in the sailboat’s sail. (There’s a tear in the sailboat’s sail. In these sentences, “rip” or “tear” are nouns.)
rip
a. rip (verb): to tear or damage
The verb “rip” is a regular verb: rip / ripped / ripped / ripping
- She ripped the paper in half.
- If you aren’t careful, you’ll rip your pants.
- Jeremy ripped his pants when he sat down.
- A tornado ripped through the area and damaged several homes.
- The upholstery in the car is beginning to rip.
- A tornado ripped through the town and destroyed several homes.
- She’s going to rip this piece of paper in half.
- Sometimes a person’s pants will rip when bending down.
c. rip (phrasal verbs): rip off; rip up; rip apart
By adding a preposition to “rip,” you create a phrasal verbs. These may have meanings that are different from the use of “rip” alone.
- The owner of the store rips off his customers with high prices. (rip off = cheat; take unearned money)
- Hey, you’re ripping me off.
- I feel like I got ripped off. (This sentence is in the passive voice.)
- We decided not to buy this house and ripped up the contract. (rip up = to destroy by tearing, usually paper)
- John got mad at the teacher and ripped up his homework assignment.
- Families ripped apart by government immigration policies suffer from fear and stress.
- I feel like I’m being ripped off when I buy a cup of coffee these days.
You can also use “rip off” as noun phrase: That’s a rip off. (That’s too expensive. / The owner of the store is trying to cheat me.)
c. rip (noun) = damage to fabric or a surface
If something hits you, you realize something to be true or amazing.
- This jacket has a rip.
- A rip in the wrapping paper showed what was beneath it.
- There’s a rip in the carpet.
- You’ll put a rip into the fabric if you pull too hard.
- A big rip on outside of the box indicates that it was not handled carefully.
- This tent has a large rip which they covered with a patch.
- His pants have several rips in them from his work as a harvester.