DRAGGING Synonyms: 173 Similar and Opposite Words

dragging 1 of 2

adjective

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed a mysterious, cloaked figure with a strange, dragging walk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dragging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of drag

as in pulling

to cause to follow by applying steady force on the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall

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as in delaying

to move or act slowly one of the climbers was beginning to drag

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as in crawling

to move slowly the play dragged and seemed to take forever to get to its predictable conclusion

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dragging

Verb

Main Street pain Meanwhile, Treasury yields are dragging on Main Street. — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026 Enes Kanter Freedom turned Angel Reese's latest crunch-time miss into fresh ammo Sunday, roasting the Atlanta Dream star while somehow dragging Paul George into his ongoing WNBA campaign. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Residents have begun clearing out their homes and dragging debris to the end of their driveways as Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office personnel remain in the area, assessing the damage. — Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 17 Aug. 2026 Read on to find the 12 best petite deals worth snagging from brands like Hanes, Lee, and Gap, and bid farewell to dragging hemlines and ill-fitting clothing once and for all. — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026 Over several weeks, crews physically unbolted and hauled out heavy machinery, dragging thousands of tons of steel out the door. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Aug. 2026 But Beaman is quick to point out that people shouldn't simply head into the woods and start dragging things out themselves. — Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Gaten Matarazzo is playing sort of a sexy role, where Billie’s dragging him into the bathroom. — Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026 Coming up, will the Iran War dragging on cost Republicans the midterms? — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging

Adjective

That turned a familiar one-run game, of which the Dodgers have had a lot lately, into a leisurely Sunday stroll.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Unfolding at a more leisurely pace, the upcoming lunar eclipse will have a much bigger audience than Europe’s solar show.

— Marcia Dunn, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of leisurely

Verb

Nidhi imagined the baby crawling around in her mother’s body, desperately seeking the uterus, and, failing to find it in its proper place, quietly shrivelling up and dying.

— Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
That happened in New York City in 2018, when at least a half dozen city buses were taken out of service after reports of bedbugs crawling on seats.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawling

Adjective

The challenge is that the hydrogen evolution reaction is slower in alkaline environments, increasing the need for catalysts that can deliver high activity without rapidly losing performance.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
As Mikhail Gorbachev became Soviet premier and promised new openness with a policy of glasnost, a slow thaw would begin toward free speech, human rights, the release of political dissidents and relaxed restrictions on emigration.

— Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of slow

Verb

Rain has already begun to move across the Big Island and is expected to continue through at least Monday, with lingering rain still impacting some of the islands possibly on Tuesday.

— Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
If any lingering question of home-court advantage persisted, it was made crystal clear in the final 30 seconds who had the biggest backing, as Barclays erupted in celebration of the Liberty’s game-winning plays down the stretch.

— Annie Costabile, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of lingering

Verb

But when prices on everything from gas to groceries are steadily creeping upward, sticking to your plans for spending can feel like a losing battle.

— Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026
On Widow’s Bay, a show currently decorated with 19 Emmy nominations, the line between cozy New England charm and creeping dread is often found in the details.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026