as in clothes
covering for the human body
the girls showed up at the prom wearing their most elegant rags
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in scolds
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
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Recent Examples of rags
Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Be better than the sensationalist rags that are sold in the supermarket checkout lane.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Damp rags on the prep counters had no detectable sanitizer.
—Sacbee.com, 20 Mar. 2026
This is a Horatio Alger-style rags-to-riches, hooray-for-capitalism parable for a generation that has no idea who Horatio Alger was.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
And photos and videos after the storm showed undernourished Cubans, men, women and children dressed in rags and people barely managing in makeshift homes.
—David Goodhue
march 16, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Pro Tip Hill suggests using paper towels for cleaning up grease instead of cloth rags.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Sponges and rags come into contact with nearly every surface, Navarro adds, and are rarely sanitized properly in between uses.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026
The paramedics had removed one of the bullets from Martinez’s arm, leaving it behind, along with bloody rags.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
Skeleton drills with rags hanging from their shorts.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Be better than the sensationalist rags that are sold in the supermarket checkout lane.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Damp rags on the prep counters had no detectable sanitizer.
—Sacbee.com, 20 Mar. 2026
This is a Horatio Alger-style rags-to-riches, hooray-for-capitalism parable for a generation that has no idea who Horatio Alger was.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
And photos and videos after the storm showed undernourished Cubans, men, women and children dressed in rags and people barely managing in makeshift homes.
—David Goodhue
march 16, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026
Pro Tip Hill suggests using paper towels for cleaning up grease instead of cloth rags.
—Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
Sponges and rags come into contact with nearly every surface, Navarro adds, and are rarely sanitized properly in between uses.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 14 Mar. 2026
The paramedics had removed one of the bullets from Martinez’s arm, leaving it behind, along with bloody rags.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rags
Verb
-
On our hike, Jessie Krebs scolds her boots for sliding on a slick, house-size boulder.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
19 Mar. 2026
-
While some online scolds didn’t like Johnson’s profanity, this has played well in Chicago, a city that has been ravenous for a winning Bears team since the 20th Super Bowl.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Carry a windshield scraper, jumper cables, a small shovel, flashlight, cell phone, blanket and additional warm clothing, drinking water, and high-calorie non-perishable food.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
It is named after Edward Dilworth Latta, a traveling salesman who opened a clothing store in 1876.—
Chase Jordan
March 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Anyone wearing cow attire — inside the restaurant or at the sure-to-be-buzzin’ drive-thru — will receive a free select entree or kid’s meal.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Additionally, the Office of Career Services offers access to the Crimson and Cream Closet, where individuals can select professional interview attire free of charge in preparation for the upcoming fair.—
Post-Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Another version used the bubble-wand photo to give Graham a pink Cinderella-style dress and a set of Mini Mouse ears, complete with perky red bow.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
-
According to data collected in 2025 by luxury watch resale marketplace Chrono24, Gen Z buy more classic dress watches than any other age demographic.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rags. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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