"rags" in the noun sense
1. rag, shred, tag, tag end, tatter
a small piece of cloth or paper
2. rag, rag week
a week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities
3. ragtime, rag
music with a syncopated melody (usually for the piano)
4. tabloid, rag, sheet
newspaper with half-size pages
5. rag
a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)
"rags" in the verb sense
1. torment, rag, bedevil, crucify, dun, frustrate
treat cruelly
"The children tormented the stuttering teacher"
2. annoy, rag, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark, nettle, gravel, vex, chafe, devil
cause annoyance in disturb, especially by minor irritations
"Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"
"It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"
3. rag
play in ragtime
"rag that old tune"
4. tease, razz, rag, cod, tantalize, tantalise, bait, taunt, twit, rally, ride
harass with persistent criticism or carping
"The children teased the new teacher"
"Don't ride me so hard over my failure"
"His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie"
5. call on the carpet, take to task, rebuke, rag, trounce, lecture, reprimand, jaw, dress down, call down, scold, chide, berate, bawl out, remonstrate, chew out, chew up, have words, lambaste, lambast
censure severely or angrily
"The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car"
"The deputy ragged the Prime Minister"
"The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup"
6. rag
break into lumps before sorting
"rag ore"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
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