ragpicker

[ rag-pik-er ]

noun

1. a person who picks up rags rag and other waste material from the streets, refuse heaps, etc., for a livelihood.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ragpicker¹

First recorded in 1855–60; rag ¹ + picker

Example Sentences

Her grandmother was a ragpicker, sifting through refuse for reusable material.

From Washington Post

These include those working in farms and fields in rural areas, as well as children who work as ragpickers in cities or sell balloons, pens and other knick-knacks at traffic lights.

From BBC

It would be an unheard-of luxury for the ragpicker or street vendor who lives day to day.

From New York Times

The ragpicker of Brooklyn works out of a 750-square-foot storefront a few blocks east of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, down a mostly residential side street in Williamsburg, where Hasidim and hipsters mix.

From New York Times

“We feel it,” said Islam, 59, who makes a living mainly as a ragpicker.

From Reuters