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
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
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
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 12 July 2025
Faux plants: Fake plants attract dust and need regularly cleaning by a wipe down from a wet rag.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 July 2025
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Ppl rag on him for his bleached hair and ppl call him a tool.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rag
Noun
Inside the green cloth was a pine box, shut with tape and containing a pocket knife, a feather, grass, sage, lavender, tobacco and a rag — which wrapped around the dismembered big toe, per the Kent Reporter.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 12 July 2025
Faux plants: Fake plants attract dust and need regularly cleaning by a wipe down from a wet rag.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 7 July 2025
Verb
Roberts, who often looked to me like an English schoolboy—rumpled shirt, rep tie—had worked with Tina to transform the British magazine Tatler from a staid society rag into a place of mischief.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Ppl rag on him for his bleached hair and ppl call him a tool.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rag
Verb
-
Whether this comes off as a joke or as an invitation for scolding (spoken or unspoken, loving or otherwise) depends entirely on the other Muslims in the room.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
-
But there was a time Emily Deschanel, who played the meticulous forensic anthropologist through 12 seasons of Bones, got scolded for being just that — and the memory still makes the star emotional.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
Gavin could learn something to benefit Californians rather than lecturing Americans 3,000 miles away.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
-
Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani’s primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics.—
Lincoln Mitchell,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
The responding officer later reprimanded the woman for entering the vehicle to help the dog.—
Sydney Sasser
July 11,
Charlotte Observer,
11 July 2025
-
Some judges are known to reprimand attorneys who miss deadlines and even sanction them.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his past criticism and blamed Biden for Powell remaining in the role.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
-
While most of us could only dream of being so effortlessly chic, Parisians have it down pat—so who could blame us for wanting to borrow some of their go-to French fashion styles?—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
Many airlines have long relied on aging computer systems, and the aviation industry has been criticized for failing to modernize swiftly.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
22 July 2025
-
Even Bennington's family, namely mother Susan Eubanks and son Jaime Bennington, criticized the lineup change.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rag. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share