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

Moments later, a third man was tackled and dragged out by police. —Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2025

Starr often conveys a sense of not wanting to linger or drag out an obligation. —Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025

That way, Iran will be motivated to come to the table rather than stalling or dragging out negotiations. —Michael Knights, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2025

My friend sent me a photograph showing a vehicle belonging to the army recruitment division stopping cars and dragging out the men and taking them away. —Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025

Rhymes for drag out

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