Rag meaning : (in the plural) Tattered clothes. A piece of old cloth; a tattered piece of cloth; a shred, a tatter. A shabby, beggarly fellow; a ragamuffin. A ragged edge in metalworking. A sail, or any piece of canvas. A newspaper, magazine. A poor, low-ranking kicker. To decorate (a wall, etc.) by applying paint with a rag. To become tattered.