What does "rig" mean?
The rigging of a sailing ship or other such craft.
Rig
/ɹɪɡ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The rigging of a sailing ship or other such craft.
- Grammar: rig is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cheat, fraud, rigging, accouter.
- Useful contrasts: decommissioning, disassemble, disassembly.
- Usage evidence: In the Rig Veda, Agni is the god of fire.
How to use "rig"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rig" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rig" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rig" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rig" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rig" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cheat" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rig", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The rigging of a sailing ship or other such craft.
- 2 A ridge. Northern-England, Scotland, dialectal
- 3 A wanton person; one given to unbecoming conduct. obsolete
"Let none condemn them [girls] for Rigs, becauſe thus hoiting vvith boys, ſeeing the ſimplicity of their age vvas a Patent to priviledge any innocent paſtime, and fevv mo[r]e years vvill make them bluſh themſelves into better manners."
- 4 An algebraic structure similar to a ring, but without the requirement that every element have an additive inverse.
"The set of natural numbers N with the usual operations of addition and multiplication is a rig, but not a ring. The set of integers Z is a ring. For a rig/ring (R,0,+,1,−), the set of polynomials R[x] on a generator x with the usual operations of addition and multiplication is also a rig/ring."
- 5 Initialism of rapid intervention group. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme wordnet
- 7 Special equipment or gear used for a particular purpose.
"The climbers each had a different rig for climbing that particular rockface."
- 8 A promiscuous woman.
"However, terrible as it may seem to the tall maiden sisters of J.P.'s in Queen Anne houses with walled vegetable gardens, this courtesan, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, street-walker, this trollop, this trull, this baggage, this hussy, this drab, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, demirep, demimondaine, this wanton, this fornicatress, this doxy, this concubine, this frail sister, this poor Queenie--did actually solicit me, did actually say 'coming home to-night, dearie' and my soul was not blasted enough to call a policeman."
- 9 a vehicle with wheels drawn by one or more horses wordnet
- 10 A large truck, especially a semi-trailer truck. US
"Every rig at the truckstop had custom-made mud-flaps."
- 11 A sportive or unbecoming trick; a frolic. obsolete
"Away went Gilpin neck or nought, / Away went hat and wig, / He little dreamt when he ſet out / Of running ſuch a rig."
- 12 gear used in fishing wordnet
- 13 The special apparatus used for drilling wells.
- 14 A blast of wind. obsolete
"This ſanguine little king's-fiſher (not preſcient of the ſtorm, as by his inſtinct he ought to be) appearing at that uncertain ſeaſon, before the riggs of Old Michaelmas were yet well compoſed, and when the inclement ſtorms of winter were approaching, began to flicker over the ſeas and was buſy in building it's halcyon neſt as if the angry ocean had been ſoothed by the genial breath of May."
- 15 a set of clothing (with accessories) wordnet
- 16 A costume or an outfit. informal
"My sister and I always made our own rigs for Halloween."
- 17 gear (including necessary machinery) for a particular enterprise wordnet
- 18 A personal computer, typically one modified for looks. slang
"When I saw a special version of Quake running on Voodoo hardware, I knew I would be forking out quite a bit of money on my gaming rig."
- 19 formation of masts, spars, sails, etc., on a vessel wordnet
- 20 An imperfectly castrated horse, sheep etc.
- 21 a truck consisting of a tractor and trailer together wordnet
- 22 Radio equipment, especially a citizen's band transceiver. slang
- 23 Equipment used for taking recreational drugs. slang
"[…] does not know how to pick up the liquid from the cooker, and he asks someone else to use his rig to put his part in his rig."
- 24 A model outfitted with parameterized controls for animation.
"As for the facial stuff, I just didn't have the time to do a really good facial rig and just worked with the one I had, which was insufficiently flexible to accomplish what needed to be done."
Verb
- 1 To fit out with a harness or other equipment.; To equip and fit (a ship) with sails, shrouds, and yards. transitive
- 2 To play the wanton; to act in an unbecoming manner; to play tricks. intransitive, obsolete
"1616, George Chapman, The Hymn to Hermes, in The Whole Works of Homer (tr.), Rigging and rifling all ways, and no noise / Made with thy soft feet, where it all destroys."
- 3 equip with sails or masts wordnet
- 4 To fit out with a harness or other equipment.; To move (a heavy object) with the help of slings, hoists, block and tackle, levers, or similar equipment. transitive
"To rig such massive equipment requires experienced riggers"
- 5 connect or secure to wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To dress or clothe in some costume. informal, transitive
- 7 manipulate in a fraudulent manner wordnet
- 8 To make or construct something in haste or in a makeshift manner. transitive
"rig up a makeshift shelter"
- 9 arrange the outcome of by means of deceit wordnet
- 10 To manipulate something dishonestly for personal gain or discriminatory purposes. transitive
"to rig an election"
- 11 To make free with; hence, to steal; to pilfer. obsolete, transitive
"Sir Hew is a rigging thy gate or the plow"
- 12 To outfit a model with controls for animation. intransitive, transitive
"We can think of rigging a 3D character as a process analogous to setting up the strings that control a puppet."
Example
"In the Rig Veda, Agni is the god of fire."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rig"?
Common synonyms include: cheat, fraud, rigging, accouter, accouterments, adjust.
How do you use "rig" in a sentence?
In the Rig Veda, Agni is the god of fire.
How do you pronounce "rig"?
Pronounced /ɹɪɡ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Early Modern English rygge, probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Norwegian rigge (“to bind up; wrap around; rig; equip”), Swedish dialectal rigga (“to rig a horse”), Faroese rigga (“to rig; to equip and fit; to make s.th. function”). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *rik- (“to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *rign-, *reyg- (“to bind”); or related to Old English *wrīhan, wrīohan, wrēohan, wrēon (“to bind; wrap up; cover”). See also wry (“to cover; clothe; dress; hide”).
Etymology 2
See ridge.
Etymology 3
Compare wriggle.
Etymology 4
From ring (“algebraic structure”), omitting the letter n to suggest the lack of negatives. Compare rng (“structure like a ring but lacking a multiplicative identity”).