Etymology From Middle English rippen, from earlier ryppen (“to pluck”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rupjaną, *ruppōną, intensive of *raupijaną, causative of Proto-Indo-European *roub- ~ *reub-, variant of *Hrewp- (“to break”). See also West Frisian rippe, ripje, roppe, ropje (“to rip”), Dutch dialectal rippen, Low German ruppen, German Low German röpen, German rupfen, also Old English rīpan, rīepan (“to plunder”), West Frisian rippe (“to rip, tear”), German raufen (“to rip”); also Albanian rrabe ‘maquis’, possibly Latin rubus (“bramble”). More at reave, rob.
To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence.
to rip a garment; to rip up a floor
For a spell we done pretty well. Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
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A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
On the other hand, HMS Colossus takes multiple hits from several battleships at once, having drifted closer to the German fleet than the rest of her squadron. She explodes as multiple magazine detonations rip the ship apart, and is lost with all hands.2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 21:33 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022:
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To tear apart; to rapidly become two parts.
My shirt ripped when it was caught on a bramble.
3
To remove violently or wrongly.
A child untimely ripped from its parents' arms.
Mary is sister to the marginalized women who live unchronicled lives in oppressive situations. It does her no honor to rip her out of her conflictual, dangerous historical circumstances and transmute her into an icon of a peaceful, middle-class life robed in royal blue.2000 June 17, Elizabeth A. Johnson, “Mary of Nazareth: Friend of God and Prophet”, in America, volume 182, number 21:
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To get by, or as if by, cutting or tearing.
He'll rip the fatal secret from her heart.1726, George Granville, Cleora:
“Wall,” said the landlord, fetching a long breath, “that’s a purty long sarmon for a chap that rips a little now and then. ..."1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 3:
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On 18 November 1987 a horrific flash fire ripped through the escalators and ticket hall of King's Cross tube station, killing thirty people.2007, Roger Baker, Emotional Processing, page 136:
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, SciencesSlang To copy data from a CD, DVD, Internet stream, etc., to a hard drive, portable device, etc.
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Slang To take a hit, dose or shot of a drug (such as marijuana) or alcohol.
He spent the day ripping shots at the bar and ripping blunts at home.
... ripping shots of cheap liquor is the easiest way to reach intoxication. It is cheaper and less time-consuming than sharing a craft beer with a friend.2019 July 15, Trevor Gundlach, Barstool Theology: Crafting the Good Life, Our Sunday Visitor, →ISBN:
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"... ripping shots of Jack Daniel's and vomiting in the bathroom.”2022 September 12, Brian W. Kelly, Wilkes-Barre: Return to Glory Iii: The City’s Return to Glory Begins with Dreams and Ideas, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:
The rest of us had our days, but Dewey was consistent. He could fart on demand. If we were at a movie, one of us would whisper to Dewey, “Hey, Dewey, let one rip,” and he would smile, raise a leg, and let one go. He had one lined up ready for launching just for the asking.2005, Dan Bomkamp, “16: Gassed”, in The Gosey: Four Boys, a Swimming Hole, a Summer Adventure, Guest Cottage, →ISBN, page 156:
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US, Slang, Sometimes To mock or criticize (someone or something). (often used with on and into)
He spent the entire forty-five-minute ride home ripping on me: my makeup, my hair, my clothing, my “gear bag” (his cowboy slang for my purse).2011 August 23, Victorie Powers, The Panty Theory, Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC, →ISBN, page 57:
opensource is a double-edged sword. while you have a chance of people using and improving on the code, you will also have the chance of lamers ripping it.2001, rex deathstar, “Opensource on demoscene”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.demos (Usenet):
I don't really care if someone rips my 3d engine, rips effects code, or anything - simply because my 3d engine and effects will be far more advanced when someone manages to use my code.2001, Maciej Mróz, “thoughts on code-sharing”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.demos (Usenet):
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[…]an old demo by some bods called "kellogs and donovan" which had ripped graphics from the game "Barbarian"[…]2002, Ray Norrish, “Barbarian demo circa 1988?”, in alt.emulators.amiga (Usenet):
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To move or act fast; to rush headlong.
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Archaic To tear up for search or disclosure, or for alteration; to search to the bottom; to discover; to disclose; usually with up.
They ripped up all that had been done from the beginning of the rebellion.1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, (please specify |book=I to XVI), in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the [Sheldonian] Theater:
For brethren to debate and rip up their falling out in the ear of a common enemy […] is neither wise nor comely.1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
Etymology From Middle English rippen, from earlier ryppen (“to pluck”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rupjaną, *ruppōną, intensive of *raupijaną, causative of Proto-Indo-European *roub- ~ *reub-, variant of *Hrewp- (“to break”). See also West Frisian rippe, ripje, roppe, ropje (“to rip”), Dutch dialectal rippen, Low German ruppen, German Low German röpen, German rupfen, also Old English rīpan, rīepan (“to plunder”), West Frisian rippe (“to rip, tear”), German raufen (“to rip”); also Albanian rrabe ‘maquis’, possibly Latin rubus (“bramble”). More at reave, rob.
Australia, New Zealand A rip current: a strong outflow of surface water, away from the shore, that returns water from incoming waves.
Rhythmic beaches consist of a rhythmic longshore bar that narrows and deepens when the rip crosses the breaker, and in between broadens, shoals and approaches the shore. It does not, however, reach the shore, with a continuous rip feeder channel feeding the rips to either side of the bar.2000, Andrew Short, Beaches of the Queensland Coast: Cooktown to Coolangatta, page 38:
Undertows (or ‘rips’) are the main problem. If you find yourself being carried out by a rip, the important thing to do is just keep afloat; don′t panic or try to swim against the rip, which will exhaust you. In most cases the current stops within a couple of hundred metres of the shore and you can then swim parallel to the shore for a short way to get out of the rip and make your way back to land.2005, Paul Smitz, Australia & New Zealand on a Shoestring, Lonely Planet, page 466:
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2010, Jeff Wilks, Donna Prendergast, Chapter 9: Beach Safety and Millennium Youth: Travellers and Sentinels, Pierre Benckendorff, Gianna Moscardo, Donna Pendergast, Tourism and Generation Y, page 100, Given that a large number of all rescues conducted by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) occur in rips (a rip being a relatively narrow, seaward moving stream of water), this is critical surf-safety information (Surf Life Saving Australia, 2005).
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In plural A tract of broken water (in a river or stream), particularly one which is not as rough as rapids.
At rare intervals the water is smooth and deep, but the rips, rapids and falls give the river its distinctive character. About two and a half miles from its mouth it contracts somewhat, and plunges over a precipice one hundred feet high[…]1881, Frank Leslie, Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, page 148:
In the 5.8 miles between this point and the head of Burnt Land Rips the fall is 40 feet. The East Branch joins the main river about 1 1⁄2 miles below the rips at Medway. A part of this fall could probably be developed by a dam near the head of the Joe Mary Rapids, but the pondage created by a high dam would cause damage[…]1911, Water-supply Paper, page 148:
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At the outlet of Round Pond is the beginning of Round Pond Rips. Rips is a Maine word that generally means easy rapids. They are not hard rapids, but require your attention, as there are plenty of rocks and ledges that need to be avoided. After the rips the river is easy […]2004, Gil Gilpatrick, The Allagash Guide: What You Need to Know to Canoe This Famous Waterway, Gil Gilpatrick, →ISBN, page 36:
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Slang A comical, embarrassing, or hypocritical event or action.
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, SciencesSlang Data or audio copied from a CD, DVD, Internet stream, etc. to a hard drive, portable device, etc.
Some of these CD rips don't sound very good: what bitrate did you use?
Well that's because groups are now releaseing^([sic]) music in their packs as well as vgas and rips. It^([sic]) you check out some local area code groups I'm sure you'll find high quality ansi if the group is good enough.1995, Mark Treiber, “Ansi Artist Wanted!”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.demos (Usenet):
Scans and rips sucks, ofcourse^([sic]). But a graphician, redrawing a picture does make him less good. A pixeled image should be judged by the skills and originality in the picture, not by the motive.2000, Jerker Olofsson, “What to do about rippers....?”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.demos (Usenet):
Camp at Kakwa Wildland Park staging area to hit the trails at first light or take a short drive from the city and go for a rip at the Big Mountain area.2015 September 29, Mason Buettner, “Grande Prairie Has It All When It Comes to Snowmobiling”, in SnoRidersWest.com, Cranbrook, British Columbia: KPI Media, retrieved 29 Jan 2022:
Etymology Learned borrowing from Latin RIP (requiescat in pace) and an initialism of rest in peace.
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Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of requiescat in pace, requiescant in pace, or rest in peace (a blessing or expression of hope that a deceased person is at peace).
RIP, Pope Francis.
But Sandor shoves his knife through his brother’s head, and when that doesn’t stop him, he sacrifices himself to kill his sibling, knocking them from the tower and plunging into the blazing fire below. R.I.P., Sandor Clegane and your malevolent brother.2019 May 12, Alex McLevy, “Westeros faces a disastrous final battle on the penultimate Game of Thrones (newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 15 May 2019:
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To be clear, there’s no reason to hate the actual Harambe. After the silverback gorilla was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2016, people used “RIP Harambe” to… comment on the irony of why we mourn animals but are quick to blame humans?2019 December 31, AJ Willingham, “All the trends we loved and hated in the 2010s”, in CNN:
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Broadly, Informal, Ironic, Often Expressing disappointment at the fact that someone or something has come to an end or gone away.
RIP Vine. Only real ones remember.
A couple of locally owned restaurants I enjoyed in my town didn't survive covid. RIP the one Indian food place within 100 miles.2022 October 24, u/5hrs4hrs3hrs2hrs1mor, “What is something that disappeared after the pandemic?”, in Reddit, r/AskReddit, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
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Damn my stream was lit lol rip to my twitch days YouTube here I come2022 October 27, @cblu80, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
rip lol [in response to a Twitch streamer getting banned]2024 May 6, @TweetFrmPkmn, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
Damn, RIP my original Ipad, the one that this journey started on. You will be missed 😔2024 May 26, @ArkNemesis5, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
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Excessive, Humorous, Ironic, Often, Slang Expressing concern about something bad happening to someone or something.
That jumpscare is so loud! RIP headphone users.
RIP your DMs.
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RIP your wood floors if he drops that like my dog drops bones.2020 August 10, u/WhyYouLikeCats, “This good boy carries a 30-pound weight everywhere he goes as his toy”, in Reddit, r/interestingasfuck, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
Damn just realized I ratio'd Pete pretty hard lol rip bozo2021 November 25, @Ollie_XVX, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
(I'm not sure what this person was going on about, but rip whoever you mistook me for lol)2023 December 4, @OddOblivion, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
RIP my notifications. 😑2024 April 30, @TheBattlecock, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
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Broadly, Slang Expressing mild disappointment or embarrassment.
I applied to dozens of companies and didn't get a single job offer, RIP.
Oops I slipped and posted some of my art rip2022 February 7, @Bakunawaart, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
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rip I forgot it was orktober (it is always orktober to me) but here's a bear gorkanaut from my bear/duck themed bad moonz army. Happy orktober 2nd2022 October 2, @BDClownFarm, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
I said I was loving Unicorn Overlord and that it reminded me of Ogre Battle and Matsuno told me this lol rip2024 March 13, @statesminds, Twitter, archived from the original on 29 Jun 2024:
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Abbreviation, Derogatory, Initialism Initialism of rest in piss.
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Abbreviation, Initialism, Rare Initialism of rest in power.
Miss Compton, in 'Other People's Worries,' asks rhetorically whether a young rip was not in the Blank divorce case.1922, The Saturday Review, volume 133, page 359:
If there were, in clubs and places where men talk, unpleasant rumours as to himself he preferred it to be thought that he was the rip, not his wife the strumpet.1924, Ford Madox Ford, Some Do Not… (Parade's End), Penguin, published 2012, page 76:
Etymology Originally coined in Selker et al. (1987) as an acronym for rearrangement induced premeiotically, which was later renamed repeat-induced point mutation in Cambareri et al. (1989).
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Repeat-induced point mutation, a process by which both copies of duplicated sequences are mutated.
Molecular biology
The RIP process can be extremely efficient. A linked duplication of 6 kb of Neurospora DNA, whose elements were separated by 7.5 kb of bacterial and unique Neurospora sequences, never survived a cross unrearranged.1987 December 4, Eric U. Selker, Edward B. Cambareri, Bryan C. Jensen, Kenneth R. Haack, “Rearrangement of duplicated DNA in specialized cells of Neurospora”, in Cell, volume 51, number 5, page 750:
Thus, the RIP process results in point mutations, consistent with the results from the heteroduplex analyses. On the basis of this information, we suggest changing the name of the phenomenon from "rearrangement induced premeiotically" to "repeat-induced point mutation."1989 June 30, Edward B. Cambareri, Bryan C. Jensen, Eric Schabtach, Eric U. Selker, “Repeat-Induced G-C to A-T Mutations in Neurospora”, in Science, volume 244, number 4912, page 1573:
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To investigate the impact of RIP on protein families in Neurospora, genes were clustered into ‘multigene families’ on the basis of an all versus all comparison of protein sequences (see Methods).2003 April 24, James E. Galagan et al., “The genome sequence of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa”, in Nature, volume 422, page 860: