rags
Britishplural noun
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torn, old, or shabby clothing
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cotton or linen cloth waste used in the manufacture of rag paper
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informal
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from poverty to great wealth
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( as modifier )
a rags-to-riches tale
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informal best clothes; finery
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I was told I couldn’t model by every tacky editor and photographer in the world,” Moffitt told author Joel Lobenthal for his book “Radical Rags: Fashions of the Sixties.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2024
The "Venus of the Rags", a symbol of the Arte Povera movement which counts Pistoletto among its leading members, shows the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility standing next to a pile of rags.
From Reuters • Jul. 12, 2023
Pletcher, who lives on Long Island, adds another Belmont title following wins with Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013 and Tapwrit in 2017.
From Washington Times • Jun. 11, 2022
Pletcher won the Belmont Stakes for the fourth time, following Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013 and Tapwrit in 2017.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 11, 2022
Rags and fleas—Tattered clothing and poor health conditions.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.