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
Clothes and linens will take longer to dry which can, in turn, drag out the chore of doing laundry.
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Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
That period has long been understood as one of immense rupture, with Africa violently dragged out of the past into the modern world.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The longer this thing drags out, the more antsy the front office will become by necessity.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
The brothers celebrated, then began the backbreaking task of dragging out the heavy-bodied buck.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drag out
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Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2025
That period has long been understood as one of immense rupture, with Africa violently dragged out of the past into the modern world.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The longer this thing drags out, the more antsy the front office will become by necessity.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
The brothers celebrated, then began the backbreaking task of dragging out the heavy-bodied buck.
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drag out
Cite this Entry
“Drag out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drag%20out. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.
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