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

see also rag on

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

Synonyms of rag

Noun (1)

• newspaper
• periodical
• journal
• magazine
• book

Verb

• scold
• lecture
• reprimand
• blame
• criticize

Noun (3)

• prank
• trick

Examples of rag in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the local rag publishes more gossip than news

the girls showed up at the prom wearing their most elegant rags

Verb

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

Noun (3)

a collegiate rag that nearly got him sent down from Oxford

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Microfiber cloths or cotton rags are good options. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 7 Jan. 2026

The place was a cluttered mess of rags, clothes, cigarette butts, and paint cans. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2025

Verb

In November, Green spoke to PEOPLE at the 2025 CMA Awards in Nashville, and shared a similar story about his friends ragging on him for being crowned Sexiest Country Star Alive. —Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026

Paltrow is so compellingly human — which is to say ragged and unpredictable — as a flighty drug addict who befriends an infatuated neighbor (Joaquin Phoenix) while dating a married man (Elias Koteas). —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for rag

• ag
• bag
• brag
• dag
• drag
• flag
• gag
• hag
• hagg
• lag
• mag
• nag

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