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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Wipe used brushes with a rag and peel off old paint instead of washing it down the drain. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 The whole busker-to-recording star has a filmic rags-to-riches quality even before Hansard meta-ishly embodied it in the film. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 3 Aug. 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
  • Ink stars Jack O’Connell as late newspaper editor Larry Lamb, with Guy Pearce as media mogul Murdoch.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Duran is a former newspaper reporter who spent 15 years working in democratic politics with Dianne Feinstein, Jerry Brown and Kamala Harris before returning to journalism.
    — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of newspaper
Noun
  • Teens are notorious for experimenting with everything from hairstyles to clothing in the name of self-expression.
    — Liz Regalia, Parents, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Brian’s Angels provides immediate need items such as toiletries, nonperishable foods and clothing.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of clothing
Noun
  • Jimmy Kimmel Fallon and Kimmel – both members of Strike Force Five – pulled off a cross-network prank in 2022.
    — Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Swatting is a criminal prank where individuals place fake calls to 911 for a specific location with the goal of getting a law enforcement response to that location.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of prank
Verb
  • The curious boys climbed onto the roof of their home for a better look, but climbed back down when scolded by their grandmother.
    — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than scolding parents about screens, society could do more to support families in ways that obviate the need for screen time.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of scold
Noun
  • It is anticipated that all IEEE periodicals will be included in the Integrity Hub screening by the end of this year.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026
  • City law still requires newsstands to sell periodicals, but few bother for obvious reasons.
    — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 22 July 2026
Definition of periodical
Noun
  • The mother in the story is in the mess of the middle, trying to make sense of things and laying out events, but not really finding the deeper threads that tie life together and give it some kind of meaning.
    — Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The threads are strung the wrong way to hold the boundary together, so the curls grow with nothing to limit them.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of threads
Noun
  • Then, use one of these simple tricks to remove leftover wax and scrub soot away with warm water, soap, and a brush when you’re done.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Though the trick watch that recorded Sang-gil’s incriminating meeting with the mayor has been destroyed, Eun-sae backed up the footage.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • Those experiences deepen understanding in ways that lectures and memorization alone rarely can.
    — Lisa Schade, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • None of that made it into the discussion before Wilder lectured the girls about how to think.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of lecture

Phrases Containing rag

Browse Nearby Words

rafts
rag
ragamuffin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rag. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rag

Nglish: Translation of rag for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rag

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All