ragman

American  

[rag-man, -muhn] / ˈrægˌmæn, -mən /

noun

• ragmen
  plural

1. a person who gathers or deals in rag.

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ragman British  

/ ˈræɡˌmæn /

noun

1. another name for rag-and-bone man

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ragmen
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ragman

First recorded in 1350–1400; rag ¹ + man

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ragman ragmen

“Even on Eagle Street, in the poorest section of town, where all the families were struggling, the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder,” Mr. Douglas wrote.

From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2020

One hundred years ago today, Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch, the son of a Moscow-born Russian Jewish ragman, in upstate New York.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 9, 2016

“The coal being thrown down the chute for the radiators. The ragman on the street, calling out so we’d throw down old clothes.”

From New York Times ● May 30, 2014

A onetime Manhattan ragman, "Kid Rags" operates the biggest book at the smartest U. S. track, Belmont Park, finds most of his trade in Wall Street, specializes in bets from $1,000 to $10,000.

From Time Magazine Archive

Luck smiled on me the next day, and I managed to steal a bundle of rags off the back of a wagon and sell them to a ragman for four iron pennies.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

“I’d always see the ragmen, who collected rags for a living,” he said in a 1992 interview with the Times.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 26, 2020

“I’d always see the ragmen, who collected rags for a living,” he said in a 1992 interview with The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2020

"Yes, and dirty old beggars and ragmen," said Florence, "and nasty, muddy streets."

From A Sweet Little Maid by Amy Ella Blanchard

Nature, my dear Dave, is a dustbin in which a few ragmen succeed in finding an occasional crust of dry bread wherewith to help fill the pot and make their hearts glad.

From A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick

When the shearers go, the washers come; when the washers go, the carders come; then come the spinners, the weavers, the buyers, and the ragmen who gather up the bits.

From Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886) by Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco