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ripsnorter

noun
rip·​snort·​er | \ ˈrip-ˈsnȯr-tÉ™r How to pronounce ripsnorter (audio) \

Definition of ripsnorter

: something extraordinary : humdinger the finale was a ripsnorter
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Other Words from ripsnorter

ripsnorting \ ˈrip-​ˈsnȯr-​tiÅ‹ How to pronounce ripsnorting (audio) \ adjective

Did You Know?

English speakers of the mid-19th century already had the term snorter at their disposal if they wanted a colorful term for something extraordinary, but that didn't stop speakers in the U.S. from throwing the verb rip onto the front of the word to create ripsnorter. And they didn't stop there: By the time the 20th century had reached its quarter mark, U.S. speakers had added hummer, humdinger (probably an alteration of hummer), pip (from pippin, a kind of crisp, tart apple and a term for a highly admirable person or thing), and doozy (thought to be an alteration of daisy) to the catalog of words for the striking or extraordinary.

Examples of ripsnorter in a Sentence

had high hopes that the football game would be a ripsnorter, but it turned out to be a real snoozer

First Known Use of ripsnorter

1840, in the meaning defined above

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Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with ripsnorter

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