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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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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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of rag
Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
Dry off your tools with a rag or other clean cloth unless rust is present (see next step).
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024
Matt Reynolds, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Swap selflessness for sturdy leadership Running yourself ragged to please everyone is not healthy.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rag 
Noun
Wipe the fence down with a rag or cloth to remove any stubborn grime.
—Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
Dry off your tools with a rag or other clean cloth unless rust is present (see next step).
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
The small business owner runs ragged working in the business, micromanaging every aspect of it and linking its success or failure to their effort, with no plan or ambition to free themselves from the workaday responsibilities.
—Matt Reynolds, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Swap selflessness for sturdy leadership Running yourself ragged to please everyone is not healthy.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rag
Verb
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City playmaker Bernardo Silva scolded his teammates for their decision-making late on in the shocking collapse against Manchester United last weekend.Joe Prince-Wright, NBC Sports, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
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Moulton scolded his party for shutting out opposing opinions and failing to address voters' fears in an opinion article published in the Washington Post at the end of November.Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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No one had ever lectured on such a thing, as far as anyone could recall.Tania Roettger, The Dial, 5 Dec. 2024
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She’s also lectured on the History of Costume in Chicago, and served as an Assistant Costume Curator at the Wellesley Historical Society.thehustle.co, thehustle.co, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The 49ers wasted no time in reprimanding Campbell for his action.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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Faced with claims of enabling fentanyl supply, officials from both China and Mexico have reprimanded the U.S. for enabling the drug’s demand.Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Kennedy has a long history of blaming vaccines for autism.Catherine Tan, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
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The regime blamed the economic collapse on sanctions, the price Syria had to pay for standing up to foreign powers.Loubna Mrie, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Bo French, the chairman of the Tarrant County, Texas, GOP, criticized Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, alleging that an emphasis on DEI programs had undermined the military's effectiveness.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
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Disney filed a First Amendment lawsuit the following year, arguing that DeSantis and state Republicans had waged a concerted campaign to punish Disney for exercising its speech rights to criticize Florida’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Rag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rag. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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