rags
Britishplural noun
-
torn, old, or shabby clothing
-
cotton or linen cloth waste used in the manufacture of rag paper
-
informal
-
from poverty to great wealth
-
( as modifier )
a rags-to-riches tale
-
-
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.
In the field behind them, a scarecrow in the form of an archer, along with rags fluttering from lines of string, are meant to keep birds from scavenging the newly planted seeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
But, ever resourceful, she turned those limited resources into an advantage - creating her iconic fishnet gloves from rags and cast-offs.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
If your social-worker friend envies your designer clothes, you don’t have to ditch your Prada for rags, but it’s probably better not to festoon your outfit with your biggest diamond.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The tighter scope and folksy approach — from a score with more spare acoustic guitar than sweeping orchestral numbers and an abundance of drab peasant rags over plush regal garb — is refreshing, at first.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
He had every reason to be in rags, but he didn’t want to be seen that way.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
