rag 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈrag How to pronounce rag (audio)
Definition of ragnext
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

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rag

2 of 3

noun (2)

chiefly British
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke a collegiate rag that nearly got him sent down from Oxford

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rag

3 of 3

verb

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rag
Noun
Here was my chance to get out of London, this counterfeit of death with its everywhere rage and its moribund culture and its smug population and its streets steeped in resentment and the sky pressing down like a chloroform rag. — Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026 The entire middle bun was essentially a sopping wet rag designed to do little more than absorb and deliver sauce into your mouth. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
The city in the book is a strange hodgepodge of affluence and poverty, of shiny new shops and ragged old ruins. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2026 If the edges look ragged with tan or white tips, your mower blade is at fault. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rag
  1. newspaper
  2. clothing
  3. prank
  4. scold
  5. periodical
  6. threads
  7. trick
  8. lecture
Noun
  • This week, Baylor’s student newspaper reported that the school’s enrollment of 13,860 undergraduates is BU’s lowest in 12 years.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2026
  • As more magazines and newspapers and animation studios have gone out of business, more artists have turned to children’s publishing for work.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of newspaper
Noun
  • Decodo, a web data company, tracked price changes in 2025 across products ranging from electronics to clothing and home improvement supplies.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Travis Kelce reminded Chiefs fans on Sunday that one of his other day jobs is ambassador — and model — for preppy clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clothing
Noun
  • The company claimed an unfinished code left in the system, part of a prank, led to the crash.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Orenstein acted and wrote for the CBC variety program The Barris Beat, produced by Norman Jewison, then moved to New York in 1965 and landed on the CBS prank show Candid Camera.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of prank
Verb
  • By the time his daughter shows up, flanked by her mom and upright dentist stepdad, Lee’s moved on from scolding the room to thanking his mother for believing him.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • District of Columbia Judge Ana Reyes angrily scolded government attorneys in a hearing to block the government from cutting down more trees at East Potomac Golf Course.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of scold
Noun
  • Declonius Peck, its beloved editor-in-chief, has gone to prison for embezzlement, and his evil twin, Salton, has assumed management of the family business, along with the 39 editors who curate the periodical.
    — Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • When word spread that the Chief Librarian of the Army was paying a visit, soldiers rushed to request their favorite periodicals and book genres.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of periodical
Noun
  • Misfolded tau can also recruit other healthy tau proteins, encouraging them to adopt the same abnormal shape, accumulating as knotted threads known as fibrillar aggregates.
    — Mike McRae October 13, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Other fans were quick to highlight seemingly recurring threads of anti-Blackness within Adéla’s fast-growing fandom.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of threads
Noun
  • Is there a celebrity chain where people share tips and tricks?
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Fox Nation is pulling a new trick, using artificial intelligence to bring legendary illusionist Harry Houdini back from the dead.
    — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • Earhart lectured at the school before embarking on her final flight.
    — News Editor, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Driving around the region to lecture and guide tours, his travel costs have soared and led him to raise his prices.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of lecture

Phrases Containing rag

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rafts
rag
ragamuffin
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Cite this Entry

“Rag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rag. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on rag

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rag

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