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
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Recent Examples of rag
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
Some members mopped their brows with colorful kitchen rags brought from home.
—Alex Vadukul, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025
Using dull pruners can cause rips and ragged cuts to the foliage that will invite disease to enter the bulbs.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rag
Noun
Spritz on just a little and polish with a rag or cloth to make the leaves of artificial plants shine, giving them the illusion of being real.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 25 May 2025
Some members mopped their brows with colorful kitchen rags brought from home.
—Alex Vadukul, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Verb
Overdose deaths, retail theft, and homicides surged to record levels, running law enforcement and first responders ragged.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025
Using dull pruners can cause rips and ragged cuts to the foliage that will invite disease to enter the bulbs.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rag
Verb
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At another meeting in May 2024, Grippo scolded female employees for not working hard enough, although the team was high-performing and employees worked long hours, the lawsuit said.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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In January at the annual World Economic Forum, President Donald Trump scolded Brian Moynihan, the CEO of Bank of America.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
Verb
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These days, nothing infuriates liberals more than to be lectured about the American plutocracy — not when Trump is perhaps the most brazenly corrupt president to hold the office in modern history.—
Alexander Heffner,
Chicago Tribune,
29 May 2025
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Maybe Healey can lecture them on how to sue Trump a hundred times and bankrupt a state on migrant hotel shelters.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2025
Verb
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In 2022, he was reprimanded for oxycodone trafficking.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
22 May 2025
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The Supreme Court on Monday said Broward County Judge Mardi Levey Cohen will be reprimanded June 3 as part of discipline that also includes a 10-day suspension without pay.—
News Service Of Florida,
Sun Sentinel,
19 May 2025
Verb
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India blamed Pakistan for the attack, an accusation rejected by Islamabad.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
31 May 2025
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Man sentenced for threatening officials DENVER -- A man who blamed exposure to far-right extremist content for his online threats to kill Democratic election officials in Colorado and Arizona was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday.—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2025
Verb
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The document was quickly criticized for errors and citing studies that don’t exist, as first reported by NOTUS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news site.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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At the same time, Lively was freshly criticized for her reaction to an interviewer in a resurfaced 2016 clip.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rag. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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