as in clothes
covering for the human body
the girls showed up at the prom wearing their most elegant rags
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in scolds
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rags
Sacbee.com, 20 Mar. 2026
This is a Horatio Alger-style rags-to-riches, hooray-for-capitalism parable for a generation that has no idea who Horatio Alger was.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
And photos and videos after the storm showed undernourished Cubans, men, women and children dressed in rags and people barely managing in makeshift homes.
—David Goodhue
march 16, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Pro Tip Hill suggests using paper towels for cleaning up grease instead of cloth rags.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Sponges and rags come into contact with nearly every surface, Navarro adds, and are rarely sanitized properly in between uses.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026
The paramedics had removed one of the bullets from Martinez’s arm, leaving it behind, along with bloody rags.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
The book explores her rags-to-riches journey from a Las Vegas trailer park to podcast stardom and media mogul-hood as the founder of Dumb Blonde Productions.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
This weekend, the two will face off in England’s FA Cup, putting Chelsea’s half-decade business rollercoaster on the same field as Wrexham’s rags-to-riches rocket ride.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Noun
Damp rags on the prep counters had no detectable sanitizer.
—Sacbee.com, 20 Mar. 2026
This is a Horatio Alger-style rags-to-riches, hooray-for-capitalism parable for a generation that has no idea who Horatio Alger was.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
And photos and videos after the storm showed undernourished Cubans, men, women and children dressed in rags and people barely managing in makeshift homes.
—David Goodhue
march 16, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Pro Tip Hill suggests using paper towels for cleaning up grease instead of cloth rags.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Sponges and rags come into contact with nearly every surface, Navarro adds, and are rarely sanitized properly in between uses.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026
The paramedics had removed one of the bullets from Martinez’s arm, leaving it behind, along with bloody rags.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
The book explores her rags-to-riches journey from a Las Vegas trailer park to podcast stardom and media mogul-hood as the founder of Dumb Blonde Productions.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 12 Mar. 2026
This weekend, the two will face off in England’s FA Cup, putting Chelsea’s half-decade business rollercoaster on the same field as Wrexham’s rags-to-riches rocket ride.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rags
Verb
-
On our hike, Jessie Krebs scolds her boots for sliding on a slick, house-size boulder.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2026
-
While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Carry a windshield scraper, jumper cables, a small shovel, flashlight, cell phone, blanket and additional warm clothing, drinking water, and high-calorie non-perishable food.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Customers can buy Texas barbecue, clothing, ice coolers, river floats and even wine.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Simon Maghakyan lectures on the 20th anniversary of the destruction of Djulfa in December 2025.—
Simon Maghakyan,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ronald White of Milton, dressed in colonial attire, stood among a line of reenactors firing replica muskets in the church’s graveyard following the service and said the anniversary carries personal meaning.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The update comes as rodeo outfits have drawn attention online, including viral social media videos debating the appropriateness of attire worn by some attendees.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Her hair was left long and straight with barely any curl, to echo the length of the statement-making dress.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Brazilian celebrities and politicians are known to frequent this exceptionally lavish event, with a black tie, long-dress dress code; tickets start from £600 and go into the thousands.—
Laura French,
TheWeek,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rags. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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