1
as in newspaper
a publication that appears at regular intervals
the local rag publishes more gossip than news
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2
as in clothing
rags plural
covering for the human body
the girls showed up at the prom wearing their most elegant rags
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
a collegiate rag that nearly got him sent down from Oxford
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
several readers called in to rag the editor for his paper's repeated grammatical lapses
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rag
Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
By the time the credits rolled my heart was ragged.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rag
Noun
And then, last December, a group of guards killed a man named Robert Brooks in a state prison near Utica—punching him, shoving a rag into his mouth, hitting him with his own shoe, and stomping on his groin.
—Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
In this melancholy-comic subversion of a rags-to-riches story Karl’s empathetic musings about those less fortunate immigrants foreshadow his subsequent downhill trajectory.
—Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
This ragged archive amounts to a record of my thinking, or at least those bits that, for a moment, seemed worth saving.
—Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2025
By the time the credits rolled my heart was ragged.
—Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rag
Verb
-
The Royal Dutch Medical Association scolded the psychiatrists, and prosecutors declined to act.—
Asra Q. Nomani,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
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Like an impatient parent scolding their toddler, Frankenstein grows frustrated with his monster’s limited capacity for speech.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Andres Bernal, a political analyst who lectures at the City University of New York, thinks many young voters look at Cuomo's history of controversy and are reminded of the Democratic Party establishment that has left them disillusioned.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
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Before the Orange Bowl in January, Penn State head coach James Franklin used his dual pregame press conference with Marcus Freeman to lecture the college football world on his belief that Notre Dame should join a conference.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To this end, Cucinelli urged the independent players to tap into the online commerce without betraying their identity of exclusivity and desirability, subtly reprimanding those who embraced the gray market outright.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
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Turnage was not disciplined or reprimanded in connection with the investigation, according to the lawsuit.—
Miami Herald,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But some Republicans blamed Newsom for the freeway closure, calling it an over-reaction.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
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Now, blaming the shutdown, the Education Department is trying to lay off an additional 465 people, cutting deeply into multiple offices.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The prince was widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein's victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
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Andrew was widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rag. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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