drag down
phrasal verb
dragged down; dragging down; drags down
1
: to force (someone) into a bad situation or condition
We cannot let our enemies drag us down to their level.
2
: to make (someone) unhappy
You can't let her bad moods drag you down.
3
: to make (something) lower in amount or quality
High energy costs are dragging down profits.
Examples of drag down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That dragged down other stocks linked to AI, including Broadcom and Advanced Micro Devices.
—
Sean Conlon,pia Singh, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
Projections of spiraling energy demand for AI drive the nuclear push, despite warnings of an AI bubble that might burst, dragging down the entire economy.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
Even as Billy and Charlie’s sometimes awkward back-and-forth drags down the film’s pace and the tension falls slack, Nelson pushes his twinkly world of terror to turn on a dime.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
Ticketing websites had performances listed through March 29, but after the show opened to notably negative reviews, production was dragged down.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drag down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sean Conlon,pia Singh, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2025
Projections of spiraling energy demand for AI drive the nuclear push, despite warnings of an AI bubble that might burst, dragging down the entire economy.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
Even as Billy and Charlie’s sometimes awkward back-and-forth drags down the film’s pace and the tension falls slack, Nelson pushes his twinkly world of terror to turn on a dime.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
Ticketing websites had performances listed through March 29, but after the show opened to notably negative reviews, production was dragged down.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drag down
Cite this Entry
“Drag down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drag%20down. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
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