Rip means to tear something quickly or forcefully. When you rip paper, it tears apart with a sharp sound. You might accidentally rip your jeans on a fence, or deliberately rip open a birthday present because you're too excited to unwrap it carefully.

The word captures something about speed and force. Tearing happens slowly and carefully, but ripping happens fast. If you tried to rip a phone book in half (an old-fashioned stunt), you'd need serious strength. If you just ripped out a single page, you'd need only a quick yank.

People also use rip to describe moving very fast, like a car ripping down the highway. In this sense, it suggests speed with power behind it. Similarly, if someone rips through their homework, they finish it quickly and energetically.

The phrase let it rip means to release something at full power, like telling someone to start a lawnmower engine and go full throttle. When you've been holding back and finally let it rip, you're going all out.

A rip can also be a noun: the tear itself. If your jacket has a rip in it, there's a torn place that needs mending.