drag out

phrasal verb

dragged out; dragging out; drags out

1

: to cause (something) to take more time than necessary

He dragged out the speech much too long.

2

: to force (something, such as a confession) from (someone) : to make (someone) tell one (something)

The teacher eventually dragged a confession out of one of the students.

Doctors sometimes have to drag information out of their patients.

Examples of drag out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a dramatic scene following the reading of the verdict, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen before he was dragged out of the courthouse by marshals. —Richard Hall, Time, 23 Sep. 2025

The poster continued to drag out the process, paying with cash instead of a card and taking their time bagging the groceries. —Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Companies that fail to transform will miss forecasts, drag out sales cycles, lose customers and burn out teams. —Thasha Batts, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

It has been known to drag out before—in some cases, for years, amid lengthy personnel investigations. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for drag out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout