Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Ragged, tattered, in shreds: Describes something, typically clothing or fabric, that is torn into many pieces or strips, appearing very worn and messy.
   • Disheveled, unkempt: Can describe a person's messy or untidy appearance, often due to ragged clothing or a generally disordered look.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cái áo rách lươm bươm. (The shirt is torn to shreds / is ragged.)
  • Sau trận bão, tàu lá chuối bị xé lươm bươm. (After the storm, the banana leaves were shredded.)
  • Thằng bé chạy về, quần áo lươm bươm đầy bùn. (The boy ran home, his clothes ragged and covered in mud.)

Advanced Usage

• "Ăn mặc lươm bươm": to be dressed in rags / to be dressed in a slovenly manner.
  • Anh ta luôn ăn mặc lươm bươm, chẳng chịu chải chuốt. (He always dresses in rags, never bothering to groom himself.)
• Used to intensify the state of being torn or messy, often implying a worse condition than just "rách" (torn).

Variants and Related Words

• Lơm bơm (adj): A less common variant with the same meaning of ragged or tattered.
• Xác xơ (adj): Worn-out, tattered, threadbare. A close synonym often used in similar contexts.
  • Áo quần xác xơ. (Tattered clothes.)

Synonyms

• Rách tả tơi: torn to pieces, in tatters.
• Tơi tả: tattered, shredded (often used for flags, sails, or things torn by wind).
• Nhàu nát: crumpled and torn.

Related Idioms

• "Đầu tóc lươm bươm": (hair) disheveled, messy, unkempt.
  • Thức dậy muộn, đầu tóc cô ấy lươm bươm. (Waking up late, her hair was all disheveled.)
• While not a phrasal verb, the word is often used in the fixed pattern "...rách lươm bươm" to emphasize extreme tattering.

1. Ragged, shređed
   • cái áo rách lươm bươm
     A coat torn to shreds, a ragged coat