drag

noun

\ ˈdrag

Definition of drag

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : something used to drag (see drag entry 2) with especially : a device for dragging under water to detect or obtain objects

2 : something that is dragged, pulled, or drawn along or over a surface: such as

a agriculture : harrow

b : a sledge (see sledge entry 3 sense 2) for conveying heavy bodies

c : conveyance

3a : the act or an instance of dragging or drawing: such as

(1) : a drawing along or over a surface with effort or pressure

(2) : motion effected with slowness or difficulty also : the condition of having or seeming to have such motion

(3) : a draw on a pipe, cigarette, or cigar took a drag on his cigar also : a draft (see draft entry 1 sense 2b) of liquid

b : a movement, inclination, or retardation caused by or as if by dragging the drag of his bottom lip

c slang : influence securing special favor : pull

4a : something that retards or impedes motion, action, or advancement

b(1) physics : the retarding force acting on a body (such as an airplane) moving through a fluid (such as air) parallel and opposite to the direction of motion

(2) mechanical engineering : friction (see friction sense 1b) between engine parts also : retardation due to friction

c : burden, encumbrance the drag of population growth on living standards

d : one that is boring or gets in the way of enjoyment thinks studying is a drag this sickly kid is going to be a social drag— Edmund Morris

5 hunting

a : an object drawn over the ground to leave a scented trail

b : a clog (see clog entry 1 sense 1a) fastened to a trap to prevent the escape of a trapped animal

6 : street, road the main drag

7a : entertainment in which performers dressed as members of the opposite sex caricature gender stereotypes through the use of often outrageous costumes and exaggerated mannerisms —often used before another noun a drag show

b(1) : stereotypically gendered clothing or costume worn by someone of the opposite sex —often used in the phrase in drag My kind of TV show featured cartoons, puppets or Milton Berle in drag.— Dennis Drabelle

(2) : costume What was perhaps most embarrassing about Cyrus' dismal gig was its cutesy toys—a giant teddy bear from which she popped to cavort with a dance troupe in fuzzy bear drag.— Camille Paglia especially : a costume used to impersonate a person or kind of person … Paul Newman and Robert Redford romping about in bad-guy drag like naughty Hardy Boys ain't my idea of a western. — Mark Goodman

8 sports : drag race

drag

verb

dragged; dragging

Definition of drag (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a(1) : to draw or pull slowly or heavily : haul dragging a box down the hall

(2) : to cause to move with slowness or difficulty dragged myself up the stairs dragging his feet

(3) : to cause to trail (see trail entry 1 sense 1a) along a surface wandered off dragging the leash

b(1) : to bring by or as if by force or compulsion had to drag her husband to the opera

(2) : to extract by or as if by pulling drag the truth out of him

c : protract drag a story out

2a : to pass a drag over drag a field

b : to explore with a drag drag the pond for the drowning victim

c hunting and fishing : to catch with a dragnet (see dragnet sense 1)

3 baseball : to hit (a drag bunt) while moving toward first base

4 computers : to select and move (an item on a computer screen) by using a mouse, a touch screen, etc. drag the icon to the bottom row

intransitive verb

1 : to hang or lag behind Stop dragging and hurry up.

2 : to fish or search with a drag (see drag entry 1 sense 1)

3 : to trail along on the ground Your scarf is dragging.

4a : to move slowly because of fatigue was dragging after the long trip

b : to proceed or continue laboriously or tediously The lawsuit dragged on for years.

5 : draw sense 4a drag on a cigarette

6 : to make a plucking or pulling movement

7 sports : to participate in a drag race

drag one's feet or less commonly drag one's heels

: to act in a deliberately slow or dilatory manner

drag

adjective

Definition of drag (Entry 3 of 3)

: of, being, involving, or intended for a person wearing clothing typical of the opposite sex : of, being, involving, or intended for a person in drag (see drag entry 1 sense 7b(1)) a drag ball

Other Words from drag Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about drag

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Synonyms & Antonyms for drag

Synonyms: Noun

bore, drip, droner, dullsville, nudnik (also nudnick), snooze, snoozer, yawn, yawner

Synonyms: Verb

draw, hale, haul, lug, pull, tow, tug

Antonyms: Verb

drive, propel, push

Examples of drag in a Sentence

Noun

My parents can be such a drag. They won't let me do anything. These meetings are a total drag. Let me have a drag from your cigarette. He took a long drag on the cigarette.

Verb

She dragged one of the other tables over to ours. Firefighters dragged the man to safety. One of the parents eventually dragged the screaming toddler out of the store. The broken muffler dragged behind the car. The dog's leash was dragging along the ground. The child is always dragging his blanket. The puppy ran up to us, dragging her leash behind her. He dragged himself up the stairs and climbed into bed. Can you drag yourself away from that computer?

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Higher rates make borrowing more expensive and slow down credit flows to companies and individuals, which could be a drag on stocks. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Trump’s beef with the Fed, explained," 29 Nov. 2018 In fact, the town and its main drag have also served as the filming location for several more seasonal movies including Hallmark's Christmas in Angel Falls (2017) and Netflix's Christmas Inheritance (2017). — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Hallmark's New 'Christmas in Love' Movie Was Filmed in the Most Romantic Small Town," 11 Nov. 2018 Tesla is also facing the phaseout of a generous $7,500 electric-vehicle tax credit next year in the United States, which could be a drag on sales in 2019 and beyond. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Why almost everyone was wrong about Tesla’s cash flow situation," 26 Oct. 2018 The two brands have been a drag on an otherwise financially strong Darden, where overall same-restaurant sales were up 2.2. — Kyle Arnold, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Darden replacing Cheddar's, Seasons 52 leaders after declining sales," 11 July 2018 Next up, Latrice Royale puts on her foundation while sharing the story of going to her first drag show and how her whole life changed. — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, "Drag Race's Latrice Royale Talks About Coming Out During Her Magical Makeup Transformation," 16 Aug. 2018 Several bands will perform and a drag show is scheduled to take place later in the day. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "Jeffersonville recognizes Pride Month for first time in city's history," 27 June 2018 Before making her television debut on RuPaul’s Drag Race, season 10 contestant The Vixen was well-known throughout Chicago for her wildly popular drag show Black Girl Magic. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, "The Vixen & Shea Coulee Perform at Chicago Black Girl Magic Show: Watch," 27 June 2018 The first drag show at the museum was actually a year and a half ago. — Cristela Guerra, BostonGlobe.com, "At the planetarium, drag shows that are out of this world," 23 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Then, tackle the filthy sneakers that have been dragged through the streets/forest/beach one too many times. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "What I’ve Learned From Cleaning Out Vogue Editors’ Closets," 30 Apr. 2019 One of the victims was Adam Lux, his friend and fellow delegate from Mainz, who had fallen in love with Marat’s murderer, Charlotte Corday, as she was being dragged to the guillotine. — Christoph Irmscher, WSJ, "‘Georg Forster’ Review: In Search of Earthly Paradise," 22 Feb. 2019 And the timeless television epic that was Friends, which has now been dragged into one of the most heated elections of midterms season, thanks to a flyer created by Georgia's Republican Party that repurposes the Friends logo to attack Stacey Abrams. — Jenny Hollander, Marie Claire, "Dear Georgia Republicans, Leave 'Friends' Alone," 23 Oct. 2018 Her mother and the priest have to pry Camille away from the coffin, and she is dragged out of the room kicking and screaming, knocking over flowers. — Emily Yahr, chicagotribune.com, "'Sharp Objects' premiere features one major difference from Gillian Flynn's novel," 9 July 2018 Smoky gained fame during World War II by dragging a telegraph wire through a 70-foot pipe that was crucial to the Allies’ reconnaissance efforts against the Japanese. — Grant Suneson And John Harrington, USA TODAY, "The 25 most heroic dogs in America," 5 July 2018 Mirack was wearing her jacket and gloves and that, combined with scuff marks, led authorities to believe she had been dragged back into the home, Stedman said. — Alexia Fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Wedding DJ Arrested for the Brutal 1992 Rape and Murder of School Teacher Christy Mirack," 26 June 2018 As the asylum dragged on, his relations with his hosts soured and his behavior became more erratic. — Gonzalo Solano, The Seattle Times, "Exasperated Ecuador ends asylum for world’s worst houseguest," 13 Apr. 2019 So herein lies the conundrum faced by royals—and indeed everyone—in the modern age: how to make the most of the opportunities on the internet without being dragged down by the pitfalls. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "How the Internet’s Obsession with the Royal Family Turned Toxic," 10 Feb. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

She's been working on drag magazine VELOUR and has continued to produce her show Nightgowns, which showcases a diverse array of drag performances in Brooklyn. — John Paul Brammer, Teen Vogue, "Sasha Velour Gives an Intimate Look at the Making of "Pirate Jenny" and Talks Pushing Drag Into New Directions," 4 May 2018 The sunny skies were great and 70-degree temps were perfect, but a flag-snapping crosswind made the drag track sensitive to navigate for those not in tune with the conditions. — Elton Alexander, cleveland.com, "NHRA Norwalk 2017: Steve Torrence gets fourth triumph at Summit Racing Equipment Nationals," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drag.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.