rag

[ rag ]

/ ræg /

noun

a worthless piece of cloth, especially one that is torn or worn.

rags, ragged or tattered clothing: The tramp was dressed in rags.

any article of apparel regarded deprecatingly or self-deprecatingly, especially a dress: It's just an old rag I had in the closet.

a shred, scrap, or fragmentary bit of anything.

Informal.

something of very low value or in very poor condition.
a newspaper or magazine regarded with contempt or distaste: Are you still subscribing to that rag?

a person of shabby or exhausted appearance.

a large roofing slate that has one edge untrimmed.

Idioms for rag

chew the rag. chew(def 11).

from rags to riches, from extreme poverty to great wealth: He went from rags to riches in only three years.

Origin of rag

1275–1325; Middle English ragge < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish ragg coarse hair < Old Norse rǫgg

Words nearby rag

raft ice, rafter, rafting, raftsman, rafvr, rag, rag bolt, rag doll, rag gourd, rag paper, rag rug

Definition for rags (2 of 4)

rag ²

[ rag ]

/ ræg /

Informal.

verb (used with object), ragged, rag·ging.

to scold.

to subject to a teasing, especially in an intense or prolonged way (often followed by on): Some of the boys were ragging on him about his haircut.

British. to torment with jokes; play crude practical jokes on.

noun

British. an act of ragging.

Origin of rag

First recorded in 1790–1800; origin uncertain

Definition for rags (3 of 4)

rag ³

[ rag ]

/ ræg /

verb (used with object), ragged, rag·ging.

to break up (lumps of ore) for sorting.

Origin of rag

First recorded in 1870–75; origin uncertain

Definition for rags (4 of 4)

rag ⁴

[ rag ]

/ ræg /

noun

a musical composition in ragtime: a piano rag.

verb (used with object), ragged, rag·ging.

to play (music) in ragtime.

Origin of rag

⁴

First recorded in 1895–1900; shortened form of ragtime

Example sentences from the Web for rags

In Ireland, the name of Sean Quinn will be forever linked in the public mind as the ultimate cautionary tale of riches to rags.

The Zillionaires Who Lost Everything |Tom Sykes |October 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For every story of rags to riches, there is another of riches to rags.

The Zillionaires Who Lost Everything |Tom Sykes |October 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A man, dressed in rags, stalks across the field, impaling the bodies with a bayonet.

‘Turn,’ AMC’s New Series About America’s First Spy Ring, Is A Visually Arresting Historical Epic |Marlow Stern |April 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Dressed in rags, a man and woman stand ankle-deep in a swamp.

Django Unchained’s Bloody Real History in Mississippi |Adam Rothman |February 24, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

How tiresome a reverse fashion show the movie provided in rags, carbuncles, gimpy legs, and bad teeth?

Why All the Hate for Les Mis? |Megan McArdle |January 7, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Charley shook her head as she methodically drew his rags about him and made him as warm as she could.

Bleak House |Charles Dickens
I had a lot of rags specially sent to me from Paris, as I wished to see the difference between the soft and the stiff muslin.

A Treatise on Etching |Maxime Lalanne
They were from ten to fifty years of age; some were dressed decently, and others were in rags.

The Boys of '61 |Charles Carleton Coffin.
The trappings of the rich, the rags of the poor, were nothing to Him.

The World's Great Sermons, Volume 04 |Various
Boy, you got to stand dere en wait till your mamma come home cause I can' find none your rags.

Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 1 |Various

British Dictionary definitions for rags (1 of 5)

rags

/ (ræɡz) /

pl n

torn, old, or shabby clothing

cotton or linen cloth waste used in the manufacture of rag paper

from rags to riches informal

from poverty to great wealth
(as modifier)a rags-to-riches tale

glad rags informal best clothes; finery

British Dictionary definitions for rags (2 of 5)

rag ¹

/ (ræɡ) /

noun

a small piece of cloth, such as one torn from a discarded garment, or such pieces of cloth collectively
(as modifier)a rag doll; a rag book; rag paper

a fragmentary piece of any material; scrap; shred

informal a newspaper or other journal, esp one considered as worthless, sensational, etc

informal an item of clothing

informal a handkerchief

British slang esp nautical a flag or ensign

lose one's rag to lose one's temper suddenly

Word Origin for rag

C14: probably back formation from ragged, from Old English raggig; related to Old Norse rögg tuft

British Dictionary definitions for rags (3 of 5)

rag ²

/ (ræɡ) /

verb rags, ragging or ragged (tr)

to draw attention facetiously and persistently to the shortcomings or alleged shortcomings of (a person)

British to play rough practical jokes on

noun

British a boisterous practical joke, esp one on a fellow student

(in British universities)

a period, usually a week, in which various events are organized to raise money for charity, including a procession of decorated floats and tableaux
(as modifier)rag day

Word Origin for rag

C18: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for rags (4 of 5)

rag ³

/ (ræɡ) jazz /

noun

a piece of ragtime music

verb rags, ragging or ragged

(tr) to compose or perform in ragtime

Word Origin for rag

C20: shortened from ragtime

British Dictionary definitions for rags (5 of 5)

rag ⁴

/ (ræɡ) /

noun

a roofing slate that is rough on one side

Word Origin for rag

C13: of obscure origin

Idioms and Phrases with rags

rag

In addition to the idiom beginning with rag

rag doll

also see:

chew the fat (rag)
from rags to riches
glad rags
run ragged

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

rag