How to Use ragtime in a Sentence

ragtime

noun
  • But over the course of his time there, the music of the town changes to a more syncopated, looser ragtime.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 6 Apr. 2022
  • What do ragtime and stride piano, two early forms of jazz, have to do with the Cuban rhythm also known as the tango?
    Brian Seibert, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2018
  • His grave in New York City remained unmarked until the ragtime revival of the 1970s.
    Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2023
  • Pokey LaFarge, from just across the state in St. Louis, is bringing his old-timey music, crossing the lines of swing, ragtime and jazz.
    kansascity, 12 Dec. 2017
  • Her fetish for vinyl records ranged from early ragtime blues to rare and obscure rock en español.
    Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2019
  • The quartet can perform a range of music from ragtime to the sounds of a saxophone in the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
    Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2023
  • Servers in corsets and fishnet stockings roamed the room, passing an old piano that, twice a week, fills the building with ragtime tunes.
    Dallas News, 1 Apr. 2021
  • At the 2019 Grammy Awards, Keys gave a shout-out to Scott after sitting between two pianos to play a bit of ragtime.
    Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2022
  • In fact, scatting as a whole was a Black innovation, as jazz was born from ragtime, spirituals and the blues.
    Brooklyn White, Essence, 1 July 2021
  • There’s a little soft-shoe, a little ragtime, with chattering thirds and dotted-rhythm chords over striding bass lines.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 27 June 2021
  • It’s late night folk with a dollop of ragtime and the occasional electronic jamboree.
    Wired Blogs, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2006
  • Jenn Rose choreographed lively dance scenes, including the fizzy ragtime number where Castillo eludes Daniels.
    Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2022
  • After all, who else in the early 1970s could dress as a revolutionary while playing ragtime?
    Michael J. Agovino, Esquire, 31 May 2016
  • Garland looked after her pint-sized co-star, reassuring her about their ragtime duet, Under the Bamboo Tree.
    Melissa August, Time, 23 Dec. 2022
  • A combination of ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, blues, jazz, all blended with ethnic music and klezmer.
    John Orr, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2017
  • Ferrell speaks — and sings — in her own language, blending country, bluegrass, jazz, pop, old-time, and ragtime, with a stage aesthetic that’s like a hillbilly Moulin Rouge.
    Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2024
  • The jazzy ragtime style was overtaken by folkier, acoustic guitar variants such as country blues and Delta blues, ushering in the likes of Robert Johnson.
    Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Nov. 2020
  • At the hotel, a live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz, and popular Disney hits in the expansive lobby throughout the day at Mizner's Lounge at night.
    Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, 17 Apr. 2018
  • Roused by the soldier from unconsciousness, the princess dances in turn to a tango, a waltz and ragtime, each mischievously parodied by Stravinsky.
    Dallas News, 21 Feb. 2023
  • The book, by Lynn Abbott and Doug Seroff, chronicles the minstrel and ragtime traditions in vaudeville theatre that was major public venue for blues in its early years.
    Paul Grein, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2023
  • As the original game expanded, so did the sound palate — which went on to include things like classic Joplin-esque ragtime, a barbershop quartet, and even tap dancing.
    Josh Chesler, SPIN, 15 June 2022
  • Our people created a world-class culture — the spirituals, the blues, ragtime, jazz, folklore.
    Greg Braxtonsenior Writer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2022
  • The soundtracks in Mario games often rely on old traditional standards like big band, gypsy jazz and ragtime piano tracks.
    Gene Park, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2022
  • The stirring show sets this classic, epic tale of friendship and empowerment among Southern Black women to a soundtrack featuring jazz, gospel, blues and ragtime.
    Adele Chapin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2021
  • Aesop’s fable is brought to life in a ragtime musical comedy with a farcical race.
    Kate Miller, kansascity.com, 7 June 2017
  • Karp was a man of many talents, notably writing mysteries honoring his great love for ragtime music.
    Adam Woog, The Seattle Times, 1 July 2017
  • And in the score, Joplin pushed himself past ragtime into music that lilts, soars and swings with tenderness and vivacity, somewhat in the grand operetta style of Gilbert and Sullivan (if without the patter).
    Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 27 July 2023
  • Though the score evokes spirituals, jazz, folk songs, ragtime and Dixieland, the elements of musical theater came through most strongly in this performance, led with brio by Stephen Lord.
    New York Times, 13 June 2018
  • This spectacle is all about bringing the past to life – that means you’ll be immersed in the time period with a ringmaster, newsies, carnival-like performances and a ragtime band to fill Mahall’s with music.
    cleveland.com, 3 May 2018
  • Among the highlights: Composer James Price Johnson was known for writing variations and helping pioneer the transition from ragtime to jazz.
    Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 2 June 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ragtime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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