1 C1 informal
To remove or clean something by wiping with a rag or cloth.
"After applying the wood stain, she ragged off the excess to leave a smooth, even finish."
separable
rag off
C1 informal separable transitive
To clean or wipe something by using a rag; or, rarely, a variant of 'rag on' meaning to tease or berate someone.
In plain English
To wipe or clean something with a cloth, or to tell someone off.
What does "rag off" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To take a rag and wipe something off — to clean by rubbing with a cloth.
Actually means
To wipe or clean something with a cloth, or to tell someone off.
Usage tip
Rare and not well-established as a standard phrasal verb. The cleaning sense (to wipe with a rag) is used in craft, painting, and woodworking contexts. The sense of telling someone off or criticizing is even rarer, and may be a regional or idiosyncratic use. Not widely found in corpora. Learners should prefer 'wipe off' for cleaning and 'rag on' for teasing.
Words that pair with "rag off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
surface paint excess furniture stain
How to conjugate "rag off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rag off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rags off
he/she/it
Past simple
raged off
yesterday
Past participle
raged off
have + pp
-ing form
raging off
continuous
Hear "rag off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rag off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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