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1. A small piece of cloth or paper
   - shred, tag, tag end, tatter
    
2. [Brit] A week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities
   - rag week [Brit]
    
3. Music with a syncopated melody (usually for the piano)
   - ragtime
    
4. Newspaper with half-size pages
   - tabloid, sheet
    
5. [Brit] A boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)

1. Harass persistently in cruel or annoying way
   "The children ragged the stuttering teacher";
   - torment, bedevil, crucify, dun, frustrate
    
2. Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
   "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really rags me";
   - annoy, get to, bother, get at, irritate, rile, nark [Brit], nettle, gravel [US], vex, chafe, devil
    
3. (music) play in ragtime
   "rag that old tune"
    
4. Deliberately provoke by mocking or poking fun, often in an aggressive manner
   "The children ragged the new teacher";
   - tease, razz [N. Amer], cod, bait, taunt, twit, rally, ride [N. Amer], wind up [Brit]
    
5. Censure severely or angrily
   "The deputy ragged the Prime Minister";
   - call on the carpet [US], take to task, rebuke, trounce, reproof, lecture, reprimand, jaw, dress down, call down, scold, chide, berate, bawl out, remonstrate, chew out [N. Amer], chew up [N. Amer], have words, lambaste, lambast, ream [N. Amer]
    
6. (mining) break into lumps before sorting
   "rag ore"

Derived forms: ragging, rags, ragged

Type of: bemock, beset, break up, chevvy [non-standard], chevy, chivvy, chivy, criticise [Brit], criticize, damn, dance music, displease, fragment, fragmentise [Brit], fragmentize, harass, harry, hassle, hebdomad, knock, mock, molest, newspaper, paper, pick apart, piece of cloth, piece of material, plague, play, practical joke, provoke, spiel, week

Encyclopedia: Rag, Tag and Bobtail