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

Out went the Army’s sponsorship of a drag-racing team; in are teams of soldiers who compete in mixed martial arts, CrossFit, and competitive video gaming, or e-sports. — Dave Philipps, The Seattle Times, "The Army, in need of recruits, turns focus to Seattle, other liberal-leaning cities," 2 Jan. 2019 Sasha Velour’s ‘Nightgowns’ at National Sawdust Sasha Velour, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Rage, is hosting an all-night drag showcase at experimental Williamsburg music venue National Sawdust. — Condé Nast Traveler, "Six Ways to Spend New Years Eve in New York: An Insider's Guide," 24 Dec. 2018 And then remember the ABA which leads to the left who said about his integrity, not just a plus, a plus-plus to have that drag to the mud. — Fox News, "Kavanaugh: I never sexually assaulted anyone," 24 Sep. 2018 Communication stocks, meanwhile, were the biggest drag on the broad index, with the sector falling 0.6%. — Michael Wursthorn, WSJ, "U.S. Stocks Inch Higher, Led by Industrial Companies," 11 Feb. 2019 Waking up in the middle of the night can be a real drag. — Nina Bahadur, SELF, "How Many Times Is It Normal to Wake Up at Night?," 27 Sep. 2018 Working while sick is often seen as a drag on productivity, but Prof. — Chip Cutter, WSJ, "You Sneezed. Go Home.," 24 Jan. 2019 So when all the factors affecting the release of greenhouse gases were added together, the drag on economic growth roughly canceled out the piling-on effect of the Earth’s carbon cycle—a pretty remarkable result. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "The economic impacts of climate change could limit climate change," 19 Dec. 2018 The capsule's steep reentry angle creates the atmospheric drag needed to slow down a fast-moving space capsule. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Ballistic Reentry: How Astronauts Survive a Failed Launch," 11 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Under Trump, the agency has identified a small number of Superfund sites for heightened attention after cleanup efforts stalled or dragged on for years. — Matthew Brown, The Seattle Times, "50M gallons of polluted water pours daily from US mine sites," 20 Feb. 2019 Victoria Honeyman, a lecturer in politics at the University of Leeds, said Johnson sill wants to topple May — but not now, when the complex and compromise-laden work of negotiating Brexit drags on. — Washington Post, "Regret, relief at departure of Boris Johnson as top UK envoy," 10 July 2018 Mark Wilson/Getty Images The government is five days into a partial shutdown, and Congress and the president are no closer to a deal to fund it, foreshadowing a stalemate that could drag on into 2019. — Li Zhou, Vox, "Wednesday is day 5 of a partial government shutdown. It could go on for a while.," 26 Dec. 2018 As that process dragged a bit, the rumors died down. — Jordan Culver, Pro Soccer USA, "What’s next for Orlando City after firing of coach Jason Kreis?," 16 June 2018 Nearly family-friendly fun for those new to drag performances. — Emma Silvers, San Francisco Chronicle, "Your guide to the best bars to hit on Pride weekend," 14 June 2018 Only recently, a jogger in her 50s was dragged off the street and raped among the azaleas. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "Florida, Full of Dread," 14 June 2018 The deadline to submit signatures is July 6, and legally, the court's handling of matter could drag out close to that date or beyond it. — Corlyn Voorhees, OregonLive.com, "Oregon Supreme Court challenge to gun control ballot wording may hobble effort," 6 June 2018 Nevertheless, voters in 1924 overwhelmingly gave Coolidge a second term and installed Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, which repeatedly dragged their feet in appropriating funds. — Andrew Coan, WSJ, "Why Robert Mueller’s Predecessors Usually Didn’t Prevail," 25 Jan. 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.