as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
a mysterious, cloaked figure with a strange, dragging walk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulling
to cause to follow by applying steady force on
the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delaying
to move or act slowly
one of the climbers was beginning to drag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crawling
to move slowly
the play dragged and seemed to take forever to get to its predictable conclusion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dragging
Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Avoid activities that could create a spark, including campfires, outdoor burning and dragging trailer chains.
—Joe Ruch, CBS News, 16 June 2026
And then on Tuesday, tragedy struck again when an alligator snatched 2-year-old Lane Graves who was playing on the beach at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, dragging the boy into the Seven Seas Lagoon.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2026
Every so often, one of the South African teams would spontaneously burst into song, dragging everyone in earshot into an impromptu dance party.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, NPR, 14 June 2026
The striped pattern gives it a classic summer look, while the midi length offers coverage without dragging on the ground.
—Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2026
However with Barcola and his representative dragging their feet, the decision makers in the French capital are no longer ruling out Barcola’s potential sale in the summer transfer window.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
South Asia remains the strongest-performing developing region, anchored by India’s robust growth, though the conflict is dragging on the broader outlook and threatening to worsen fiscal and current account balances across the region.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Safely disposing of dead satellites—by dragging them down to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere or boosting them out of the way of other orbiting objects—is a problem the industry still hasn’t solved.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
Verb
Mbappé has already been a hero for his country, winning the World Cup in 2018 and scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 final while almost dragging his team to an unlikely defense of the title.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 June 2026
Avoid activities that could create a spark, including campfires, outdoor burning and dragging trailer chains.
—Joe Ruch, CBS News, 16 June 2026
And then on Tuesday, tragedy struck again when an alligator snatched 2-year-old Lane Graves who was playing on the beach at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, dragging the boy into the Seven Seas Lagoon.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 June 2026
Every so often, one of the South African teams would spontaneously burst into song, dragging everyone in earshot into an impromptu dance party.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, NPR, 14 June 2026
The striped pattern gives it a classic summer look, while the midi length offers coverage without dragging on the ground.
—Better Homes & Gardens, 14 June 2026
However with Barcola and his representative dragging their feet, the decision makers in the French capital are no longer ruling out Barcola’s potential sale in the summer transfer window.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
South Asia remains the strongest-performing developing region, anchored by India’s robust growth, though the conflict is dragging on the broader outlook and threatening to worsen fiscal and current account balances across the region.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 June 2026
Safely disposing of dead satellites—by dragging them down to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere or boosting them out of the way of other orbiting objects—is a problem the industry still hasn’t solved.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging
Adjective
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In 1943, Shalit headed to the University of Illinois and took a leisurely six years to earn his degree.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
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That leisurely pace would lead only to more murder, and more assassinations.—
Wesley Morris,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
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There’s a lot of repairing and resolution that needs to happen in this final episode, but luckily things start strong with Liz and Jo-Ellen pulling each other aside to talk things through on the beach.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
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But Hong Kong has a way of pulling people back.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 June 2026
Verb
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And while research shows that exercise supports healthy sleep by regulating body temperature, mood, metabolism and circadian rhythm, Weiner cautions that exercising too close to bedtime can interfere with sleep by delaying sleep onset, shortening sleep duration and lowering overall sleep quality.—
Sharon Brandwein,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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The remaining providers are stretched thin, and patients are traveling farther for care — often delaying prenatal visits or arriving in labor without adequate support.—
Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams,
STAT,
19 June 2026
Verb
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For cybersecurity companies, identifying a digital agent crawling a website used to be enough evidence of malicious activity.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
17 June 2026
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The challenge, of course, is that cleaning baseboards often involves crawling around on hands and knees, a task few people are eager to do.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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The Virgo moon invites you to take a slower pace today.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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The Targaryen civil war has been a bit of a slow burn so far, though both sides of the family have suffered major casualties.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Police say the 27-year-old jumped from the truck and was run over by a trailer on the back hauling a skid loader.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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Ironically enough, the new revenue stream is largely a matter of hauling coals to Newcastle, given the expansion of the field from 32 teams to 48.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Inventories are unlikely to fully rebuild given the scale of draws in the first half-year and ongoing government stockpiling, the bank said, while lingering geopolitical risk premium would keep a floor under prices.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
16 June 2026
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Southern Living also noted that local tourism officials are encouraging visitors to return to the region, as many businesses remain open and rely on tourism dollars despite lingering perceptions that the area is still closed following Hurricane Helene.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
Verb
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But the sheer brutality and creeping terror of the simplistic opening scene makes the rest of the film — with its gratuitous set pieces and CGI gore — seem much more inelegant.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
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This is particularly true for people with mild hypertension or those whose blood pressure has just started creeping into the elevated range.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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