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Glite Dictionary
to run (someone) ragged

to run (someone) ragged

5 7.5
Make someone very tired by giving them too much work
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : dejar a alguien agotado
  • These kids ran me ragged.

Examples

  • I'm telling you, Mandi, you've been running me ragged all day long.

    Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014)

  • He ran me ragged, and I hardly ever got paid.

    They Drive by Night (1940)

  • And I'm gonna run you ragged.

    Carrie (2002)

  • This guy Weaver is running me ragged.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Since he found out we're behind it, he's been running us ragged.

    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

  • Jonathan Wilkins has been running himself ragged getting that place whipped into shape, and his hard work is paying off the dividends of deliciousness.

    Blog text (25)

  • Taking care of three young children all weekend has really run me ragged.

  • My busy schedule at work has been running me ragged lately.

  • The hike in the hot sun ran us ragged before we reached the summit.

Synonyms

to exhaust
vsto run (someone) ragged
194 3.2

To make someone very tired

comes from making someone tired by demanding effort or attention
to tucker
vsto run (someone) ragged
  • Informal
8 9.4

To make someone very tired

is a more neutral term for tiring by heavy demands rather than slang
to run ragged
vsto run (someone) ragged
  • Informal
2 6.3

To make someone very tired by giving them too much to do

is the same meaning but presented as the chosen idiomatic form
to knock the stuffing out of
vsto run (someone) ragged
  • Informal
1 8.6

To make someone feel very tired, weak, or sad

focuses on producing physical exhaustion through demanding effort rather than sadness
to run off someone's feet
vsto run (someone) ragged
  • UK
7.1

To make someone very busy and tired with too much work

targets exhaustion by heavy demands for effort or attention
to swamp someone with tasks
vsto run (someone) ragged
  • Informal
6.3

To give someone more work than they can do

involves causing exhaustion through demanding effort and attention not just tasks

Antonyms

to relax
∞ 1.0

To feel less nervous and more calm

to refresh
50 2.8

Make someone or something feel full of energy and less tired

How Tired

to exhaust
194 3.2
to run (someone) ragged
  • Informal
5 7.5
to fatigue
11 4.6
to tire
23 1.0

Surface Forms

run (someone) ragged infinitive
ran (someone) ragged past
run (someone) ragged past participle
running (someone) ragged present participle
runs (someone) ragged third person singular

Morphology

run + (someone) + ragged

The meaning is directly compositional: 'run' here functions causatively and 'ragged' means exhausted, so a learner who knows both words can infer 'to make someone exhausted.' The causative pattern 'run someone + adjective' is productive in English (e.g., 'run someone dry'), making this expression readily understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The idiom run (someone) ragged may come from the picture of making someone run so much that their clothes become ragged and worn out. So, that image of being run until you are worn out explains why it means 'to make someone extremely tired'.