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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Streaming shows — with their more leisurely pace and longer arcs — have simply been able to come by and iterate.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
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Each suite has a double whirlpool tub, fireplace, refrigerator, private bathroom, and outdoor terrace for leisurely romantic homemade breakfasts that get delivered to your room.—
Midwest Living,
Midwest Living,
15 June 2026
Verb
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The beast screamed and flew away, pulling an attached anchor into the water.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, Swift remains scientifically valuable, but atmospheric drag has been pulling it dangerously close to Earth.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
21 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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Alternative disposal methods such as chipping or hauling landscape debris to a green waste facility can help reduce fire risk without open burning.—
Haley Parsley,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
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The Indians had been hauling timber with him.—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 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 23 Jun. 2026.
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