Meaning & use
rag out
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Meanings
phrasetransitiveinformalold-fashioned
To dress someone in shabby or fancy clothes, often for a special occasion or as a joke.
Grammar: Takes an object: rag out someone or rag someone out. Often used in the passive: be ragged out in something.
Patterns
- rag out someone
- rag someone out
- be ragged out in something
For the party, they ragged him out in a bright pink suit.
She was ragged out in her grandmother's old wedding dress.
phrasetransitiveinformal
To criticize or scold someone angrily and at length.
Grammar: Takes an object: rag out someone or rag someone out. Often used in the passive: get ragged out for something.
Patterns
- rag out someone
- rag someone out
- get ragged out for something
The coach ragged out the team for missing practice.
He got ragged out by his boss for arriving late again.
Common combinations
- rag out someone for something
- She ragged out her son for forgetting his homework.
- be ragged out in
- The children were ragged out in their best clothes for the photo.
- get ragged out
- He got ragged out for not answering his phone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dress up
- More neutral; it means to put on nice clothes, while 'rag out' often suggests something showy or silly.
- scold
- A more formal word for telling someone off; 'rag out' is informal and often implies a long, angry talk.
Commonly confused: rag out or rag?
rag out vs rag
As a verb, 'rag' can mean to tease someone playfully; 'rag out' is stronger and means to dress up or scold.
Practice
What does 'rag out' mean in the sentence: 'His mother ragged him out for coming home late'?
Choose one answer.
In this context, 'rag out' means to scold or criticize someone angrily. The other options do not fit the meaning of scolding.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rag out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.