1
: rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment in stride-piano style
2
: music having ragtime rhythm
Examples of ragtime in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
He’s left a distinctive stamp on the orchestra’s sound in the years since, whether declaiming the beginning of Mahler 5 with a preacher’s conviction or, as in a recent Ravinia concert, tossing off a ragtime solo with waggish virtuosity.
—
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024
Father-son duo (Barron and Donald Ryan) performs jazz, ragtime, classical and gospel song arrangements on two grand pianos.
—Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 27 July 2024
That show was a rare revival of the Broadway musical about ragtime jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton, and Van Lieu remembers it as an impressive showcase of Randolph’s talents.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2024
Or, just focus on the delightful oddity of a restrained Maya Rudolph playing the ragtime king, who has mastered time travel seemingly for the sole purpose of running down Anna Kournikova over her lackluster showings on the court.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 10 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ragtime 
Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024
Father-son duo (Barron and Donald Ryan) performs jazz, ragtime, classical and gospel song arrangements on two grand pianos.
—Eric E. Harrison, arkansasonline.com, 27 July 2024
That show was a rare revival of the Broadway musical about ragtime jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton, and Van Lieu remembers it as an impressive showcase of Randolph’s talents.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2024
Or, just focus on the delightful oddity of a restrained Maya Rudolph playing the ragtime king, who has mastered time travel seemingly for the sole purpose of running down Anna Kournikova over her lackluster showings on the court.
—Jesse Hassenger, Vulture, 10 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for ragtime
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ragtime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ragtime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtime. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ragtime
noun
rag·time
ˈrag-ˌtīm 
1
: music played with a strong march-style rhythm and a lively melody with accented notes falling on beats that are not usually accented
2
: music having ragtime rhythm
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