as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
a mysterious, cloaked figure with a strange, dragging walk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
one of the climbers was beginning to drag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crawling
to move slowly
the play dragged and seemed to take forever to get to its predictable conclusion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dragging
Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Many fans on social media are lauding his accomplishment of dragging a bloated corpse of a roster to a 3-0 series lead at 41 years of age without Austin Reaves or Luka Doncic in the fold.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
With her hands still tied together and the rope dragging behind her, Sasha makes her escape and jumps into a rushing river that leads out of the cave.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
There is the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, and children playing ball, shopkeepers chatting on the doorstep of their stores, flushed tourists dragging their suitcases all around.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Congressional leaders, wired to protect their own and afraid of upsetting their narrow margins, are famous for shrouding ethics investigations in secrecy and dragging them out for years.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
The property sector slump in China has still not yet fully recovered, which has weighed on home prices across the country and impacted consumption and investment sentiment, dragging on China's broader economic growth.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Many fans on social media are lauding his accomplishment of dragging a bloated corpse of a roster to a 3-0 series lead at 41 years of age without Austin Reaves or Luka Doncic in the fold.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
With her hands still tied together and the rope dragging behind her, Sasha makes her escape and jumps into a rushing river that leads out of the cave.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
There is the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, and children playing ball, shopkeepers chatting on the doorstep of their stores, flushed tourists dragging their suitcases all around.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Congressional leaders, wired to protect their own and afraid of upsetting their narrow margins, are famous for shrouding ethics investigations in secrecy and dragging them out for years.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
The property sector slump in China has still not yet fully recovered, which has weighed on home prices across the country and impacted consumption and investment sentiment, dragging on China's broader economic growth.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging
Adjective
-
Director Gay has sculpted a staging that is faithful to a more leisurely 19th-century storytelling style, yet satisfies modern audiences’ constant craving for stimulation.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Evenings brought cocktail hours, nightly presentations about the next day’s destination, and leisurely dinners, followed by time in the lounge.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
All of which is great news for Adam Silver and everyone else pulling a paycheck from the league.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Seated calf raises can lower post-meal blood sugar spikes by gradually pulling glucose from the bloodstream.—
Mira Miller,
Verywell Health,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That is setting batteries up for a dual role as an enabler to putting more green energy on the grid and delaying the phase-out of fossil fuels.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Police said Morgan was seen crawling under a partially open garage door before jumping into a backyard pool.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Footage shared by Sky News showed the animal crawling up onto the eatery's counter.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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He is limited on passing downs and is more of a slow-burn pocket pusher than a man with a plan.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In some cases, lenders may cover the costs of buydown for you (either partially or in full), if the market is particularly slow.—
Aly J Yale,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Russian freighter, known as Progress 95, is hauling about 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Literally hauling the extra weight of the wiring harness around, not giving the customer any benefit.—
Jamie Lincoln Kitman,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For another easy-to-care-for choice that relishes sunlight, look to creeping juniper and its beautifully hazy blue-green leaves.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That dingy look creeping across the screens and settling on every surface?—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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