rag

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈrag 

1

a

: a waste piece of cloth

b

rags plural : clothes usually in poor or ragged condition

c

: clothing

the rag trade

2

: something resembling a rag

3

: newspaper

especially : a sleazy newspaper

rag

2 of 5

noun (2)

1

: any of various hard rocks

2

: a large roofing slate that is rough on one side

rag

3 of 5

verb

ragged ˈragd  ; ragging

transitive verb

1

: to rail at : scold

2

: torment, tease

rag

4 of 5

noun (3)

chiefly British

: an outburst of boisterous fun

also : prank

rag

5 of 5

noun (4)

: a composition in ragtime

Phrases

rag on

: to make fun of

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• book
• bulletin
• diurnal
• gazette
• journal
• mag
• magazine
• newspaper
• organ
• paper
• periodical
• review
• serial
• zine

Verb

• baste
• bawl out
• berate
• call down
• castigate
• chastise
• chew out
• dress down
• flay
• hammer
• jaw
• keelhaul
• lambaste
• lambast
• lecture
• rail (at or against)
• rant (at)
• rate
• ream (out)
• rebuke
• reprimand
• reproach
• scold
• score
• tongue-lash
• upbraid

Noun (3)

• antic
• caper
• capriccio
• dido
• escapade
• frolic
• gag
• jest
• knavery
• monkeyshine(s)
• practical joke
• prank
• roguery
• shavie [Scottish]
• shine(s)
• trick
• waggery

Examples of rag in a Sentence

Verb

several readers called in to rag the editor for his paper's repeated grammatical lapses

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Rather than sanding the topping mix, avoid dust by rubbing the wall vigorously with a barely damp rag. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024

Presented at Pont Alexandre III– a bridge models appeared to have stumbled onto from a brothel– Galliano tightly cinched into a bustier the waists of lollygagging, rag dollish models, who sat on padded bums. —Essence, 26 Jan. 2024

Wipe it down: To create a clean, dust-free surface, wipe the piece all over with a tack rag dampened with mineral spirits. —Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024

Gossip rags immediately jumped on the situation as well, but Gluck says that his two leads took all the interest and curiosity in stride. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Dec. 2023

But instead of stitching together leftover rags to make the dolls, Twain turned to her own backyard for inspiration, using plants and organic material to fashion dolls. —USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024

For pieces that are worn out, cut them up and use them for rags, or look for clothing recycling options near you. —Abby Ferguson, Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2024

Close off rooms to avoid wasting heat. Place towels or rags in cracks under doors. —Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Jan. 2024

Out-of-work circus performers Doc and Amelia Farmer collected rags, cleaned and resold them through their Acme Industrial Laundry Company. —Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024

Verb

The neighborhood men rag on their silly, modern offspring. —Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024

Information security remains a fraught and messy domain, with seemingly constant data leaks and malware infections running security teams ragged. —Justin Warren, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Crows can be beautiful birds whose black feathers shimmer green and violet, like an aurora in the night sky; in late summer, however, Parisian crows looked ragged from their annual molt. —Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024

During the evening session of the second day at Rajkot, Duckett was imperious, unstoppable and running the hosts ragged. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024

Thanking You with all their post lo-fi Virgin records money and ragged glory in the mid-90s, before shoving your expectations down the toilet bowl, with career highlight and misunderstood masterpiece Sweet Sixteen in 1997. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 8 Feb. 2024

Holes and ragged edges in brassica leaves are usually from snails, slugs or tiny green worms. —Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024

There are minor imperfections (the topmost of the polo’s four buttonholes arrived unfinished and a touch ragged) and the shirt’s large, soft collar, the only option, gets helplessly flummoxed under even a light blazer. —Josh Condon, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2023

Even sportscasters appear to be run ragged by the probabilities. —John Otis, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English ragge, from Old English *ragg, from Old Norse rǫgg tuft, shagginess

Noun (2)

Middle English ragge

Verb

origin unknown

Noun (4)

short for ragtime

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1739, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1825, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1881, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rag

• rag doll
• a red rag to a bull
• do-rag
• the rag trade
• tag, rag, and bobtail
• du-rag
• chew the rag
• rag on

Kids Definition

rag

1 of 3 noun

ˈrag 

1

: a waste or worn piece of cloth

2

plural : shabby or very worn clothing

dressed in rags

3

: newspaper

especially : a low quality newspaper

rag

2 of 3 verb

ragged; ragging

1

: to rail at : scold

2

: torment sense 2, tease

rag

3 of 3 noun

: a composition in ragtime

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown