durag

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableinformalAmerican

   A soft cloth head covering tied at the back, worn to keep hair smooth and in place, especially while sleeping or to protect styled hair.

   Grammar: Countable: a durag, two durags.

   Patterns

   • wear a durag
   • tie a durag

   He ties a silk durag over his hair every night to keep his waves in place.

   She bought a velvet durag to match her outfit.

   Many players wear a durag under their helmets.

Word forms

Common combinations

wear a durag

He likes to wear a durag when he plays basketball.

a silk durag

A silk durag feels smooth against the hair.

tie a durag

Can you show me how to tie a durag?

a velvet durag

She wore a velvet durag in dark green.

wave cap

He switched from a durag to a wave cap for sleeping.

Synonyms and how they differ

do-rag

This is another spelling of the same word and has the same meaning.

headscarf

This is a wider term and is usually worn for fashion, warmth or religion rather than to keep hair flat.

bandana

This is a square cotton cloth with a printed pattern, and it is not shaped or tied to cover the whole head in the same way.

skull cap

This is a close-fitting round cap that does not tie behind the head.

Word family

do-rag noun

an alternative spelling

du-rag noun

another spelling variant

rag noun

a piece of old cloth, which gave the word its second part

head wrap noun

a general term for cloth wrapped around the head

Commonly confused: durag or bonnet? durag or doo-wop?

Practice

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