ragpicker

noun

rag·​pick·​er ˈrag-ˌpi-kər 

: one who collects rags and refuse for a livelihood

Examples of ragpicker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rahman Ali, 42, a ragpicker in an eastern suburb of the Indian capital New Delhi earns less than $3 a day by collecting waste from people’s homes and sorting it to salvage whatever can be sold. —Aniruddha Ghosal, Anchorage Daily News, 23 May 2022

By situating—or isolating—words, phrases, and sentences in unexpected ways, Jacob gives a surprising weight and importance to a key, a ragpicker, a group of smiling men, three mushrooms, or a Neapolitan beggar. —Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 25 Feb. 2021

Plastics also support thousands employed informally such as ragpickers as well as street food and market vendors who are reliant on single-use plastic. —Manveena Suri, CNN, 3 Oct. 2019

His figures aren’t gleaners or ragpickers or serfs or slaves. —Brian T. Allen, National Review, 22 June 2019

A few hundred thousand people earn money from being ragpickers in Delhi. —New York Times, 10 June 2018

Political will to find a solution is weakened because of ragpickers who live in nearby slums and remove plastic from the dumps. —New York Times, 10 June 2018

Bangladesh may be able to copy India which, despite its 1.3bn people, falls outside the top ten thanks to armies of ragpickers. —The Economist, 1 Mar. 2018

The chic type might go to a pricier boutique like Screaming Mimi’s or Gypsy Mens NY — or turn to local ragpickers and craftspeople who now specialize in creating Burning Man costumes. —Annie Correal, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1680, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ragpicker

noun

rag·​pick·​er ˈrag-ˌpik-ər 

: a person who collects rags and waste for a living