Meanings
plural rorts
- AustraliaNew ZealandA scam or fraud, especially involving the misappropriation of public money or resources.
2008, Australian House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), page 4067, Not all of the projects were bad or rorts; the majority were no doubt valuable to their communities.
2 more examples
It′s one of the great rorts in Australia that for overstaying your welcome (even by five minutes) in a space that may cost only a few dollars to park in, local councils are prepared to fine you anywhere from $50 to $120.
2009, Justine Vaisutis, Australia, Lonely Planet, page 81The rort was that South Australia and Western Australia, who controlled their grounds, were allowed to double-dip. In Perth, for instance, the WACA sold season tickets, which they marketed in the form of memberships, to everything at the ground, including football. They had a huge membership and were rolling in money, but because they′d sold their tickets in memberships, they declared a loss on the cricket Test match. At the end of the season, though, they′d get the same twofourteenths^([sic]) of Pool Two as Queensland.
2011, Malcolm Knox, Greg Chappell, Fierce Focus, unnumbered page
present singular third person rorts · participle present rorting · participle past rorted · past rorted
- AustraliaNew ZealandtransitiveTo cheat or defraud.
York is then alleged to have rorted the doctor out of his share.
2011, James Morton, Susanna Lobez, Kings of Stings: The Greatest Swindles From Down Under, page 1182 more examples
He wants to change the system for the benefit of all and wants to stop the incredible rorting that has occurred within the prisons system.
1992, Victorian Legislative Assembly, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), page 496SINGLE pensioners living together will come under scrutiny from Centrelink looking for same-sex couples rorting welfare.
2009 January 30, Ben Packham, “Same-sex couples accused of cheating system”, in Herald Sun, archived from the original on 02 Feb 2009
Origin
Probably a back-formation from rorty (“boisterous or rowdy, saucy, dissipated, or risqué”). Originally slang but now in common usage.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rort
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
rort. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rort
“rort.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rort. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rort,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rort.
Source: rort on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.