run (someone) ragged

idiom

informal
: to make (someone) very tired
All this travel is running me ragged.
He was run ragged with/by all the travel.

Examples of run (someone) ragged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With potentially up to 60 games if Miami goes deep in all the tournaments, players will be run ragged. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 Even sportscasters appear to be run ragged by the probabilities. John Otis, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023 As for the first lady, having logged significant travel because swing-state candidates wanted a Biden to raise money but weren’t eager to be seen with her husband, she was then run ragged by additional duties after the elections. James Freeman, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2022 Meanwhile, moms are run ragged wearing all their hats. Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2021 This is Adam Goldstein’s pitch to Angelenos run ragged by traffic: air taxis. Rachel Urangastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2022 Bradley Rose, a father living in Florida, said he was run ragged driving the kids around to events and clubs. Nora Eckert, WSJ, 13 Feb. 2022 Doja had confessed to being run ragged by her schedule. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2021 United’s defense was completely run ragged against Liverpool, conceding after five minutes. Rob Harris, ajc, 24 Oct. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'run (someone) ragged.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near run (someone) ragged

Cite this Entry

“Run (someone) ragged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/run%20%28someone%29%20ragged. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!