drag

1 of 3

noun

ˈdrag

plural drags

Synonyms of drag next

: something used to drag (see drag entry 2) with

especially : a device for dragging under water to detect or obtain objects

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

agriculture : harrow

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

: conveyance

: 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

: a movement, inclination, or retardation caused by or as if by dragging

the drag of his bottom lip

slang : influence securing special favor : pull

: 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

: burden, encumbrance

the drag of population growth on living standards

: 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

hunting

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

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

: street, road

the main drag

: entertainment in which performers caricature or challenge gender stereotypes (as by dressing in clothing that is stereotypical of another gender, by using exaggeratedly gendered mannerisms, or by combining elements of stereotypically male and female dress) and often wear elaborate or outrageous costumes

"… Atlanta … was, like, mecca for drag. It had the traditional drag queens who were female impersonators. But, you know, I had come from the punk rock side of the tracks, and we did drag as a social comment …"—

RuPaul

—often used before another noun

Drag shows are events where performers impersonate characters from a certain gender and often don elaborate costuming and makeup.—

Lauren WavraThe drama sparked a conversation within the LGBTQ community regarding trans, female, and nonbinary drag performers.—

Xavier Piedra

verb

dragged; dragging; drags

transitive verb

a(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

dragging the kids to the grocery store

(2)

: to extract by or as if by pulling

drag the truth out of him

: protract

drag a story out

: to pass a drag over

drag a field

: to explore with a drag

drag the pond for the drowning victim

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

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

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

Drag and drop any image into the search box on images.google.com to help determine whether a photo is fake.—

Laura Anastasia and Mary Kate Frank

intransitive verb

: to hang or lag behind

Stop dragging and hurry up.

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

: to trail along on the ground

Your scarf is dragging.

: to move slowly because of fatigue

was dragging after the long trip

: to proceed or continue laboriously or tediously

The lawsuit dragged on for years.

: draw sense 4a

drag on a cigarette

: to make a plucking or pulling movement

sports : to participate in a drag race

draggingly

ˈdra-giŋ-lē

adverb

drag

3 of 3

adjective

: 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

Phrases

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

: to act in a deliberately slow or dilatory manner

Example Sentences

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? See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Other states have since introduced similar pieces of legislation, in addition to bans on transgender healthcare and drag shows. —

Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2023 Other states are following Huckabee-Sander's lead and working on creating similar legislation restricting drag shows. —

Fox News, 25 Feb. 2023 Across the country, Proud Boys and other far-right groups have targeted LGBTQ individuals, including at drag shows and story hours like the one at Crazy Aunt Helen’s. —

Katie Mettler, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2023 Members of the same group staged an anti-LGBTQ demonstration at a Portsmouth theater in 2021, ostensibly to protest a family-friendly drag show. —

Steven Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Feb. 2023 Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill banning drag shows in public on Thursday, sending the measure to the Republican Governor Bill Lee’s desk. —

Nate Dicamillo, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2023 In response, Porter wanted to ensure that Robyn's onstage performances were depicted with all the glamour and joy of a real drag show. —

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2023 In 2022 in North Texas, examples of local incidents included hate groups tossing antisemitic literature on Colleyville lawns and a neo-Nazi group protesting a drag show in Grand Prairie. —

Dallas News, 17 Feb. 2023 Gay rights activists believe DeSantis helped inspire dozens of new state proposals that seek to regulate transgender health care, drag-show performances or public accommodations for transgender Americans. —

Tim Craig, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Feb. 2023

Verb

If this is the case, the best baits are bottom baits which can drag past lethargic fish and produce a strike. —

Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2023 Everyone in this period drama from director Dee Rees is trying to drag themselves out of the Mississippi mud in one way or another. —

WIRED, 10 Feb. 2023 By around 6 am, people had gathered, looking at the single female elephant trying to drag a dead calf with her hind legs. —

Sayan Banerjee, Quartz, 30 Jan. 2023 Others bled to death on prayer mats as people tried to drag them to safety. —

Ishaan Jhaveri, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2022 Their shoeless feet drag on the ground as the truck speeds up, some running to try and keep up. —

Erin O'brien, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Feb. 2023 Earnings season will drag on over the next month, with a slew of technology firms—including Tesla, Microsoft and IBM—expected to report this week. —

Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023 According to Gretchen Roffler, a wildlife biologist at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and lead author of the study, the wolves drag the sea otters above the high tide line to consume them. —

Byjack Tamisiea, science.org, 23 Jan. 2023 State of the Union speeches are typically written over weeks and months, and the painstaking editing process can drag on until the previous days and even hours before delivery. —

Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2023

Adjective

Nebraska, Kentucky, West Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, Montana, Kansas and Oklahoma all have various anti-drag bills on the table. —

Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2023 Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas are all deliberating anti-drag laws. —

Kevin Fisher-paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2023 Extremist far-right groups including the Proud Boys, Patriot Front, White Lives Matter and other white supremacists have glommed onto the anti-drag cause over the last couple of years. —

Will Carless, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2023 Everything Everywhere All At Once co-director Daniel Scheinert took a shot at the anti-drag bills being pushed by conservative lawmakers around the country while accepting the Oscar for Best Director on Sunday night. —

Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2023 What is the impact of this political climate — with such a drastic rise in anti-drag and anti-trans rhetoric — on your community? —

Alex Rees, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023 Some of music's biggest stars are teaming up with LGBTQ+ organizations to hold a benefit concert in response to Tennessee's recent anti-drag legislation. —

Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2023 Anti-drag protesters have even found a place in liberal enclaves, such as New York City, in the last handful of months. —

Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 3 Mar. 2023 Tennessee’s anti-drag legislation was one of several similar bills being weighed across the country, and one of several bills aimed at the state’s LGBTQ+ community. —

Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2023 See More

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.