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
Al Weaver, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2026
Eliza was eventually turned over to a bounty hunter, who, along with her original enslaver, went to Chicago and captured her, apparently dragging her down Adams Street, Krupa said.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
This time last year, UCLA was dragging the residue of a season lived in the Pac-12’s cellar, leaving the Bruins unranked in The Athletic’s preseason top 25 poll.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Groggy, foggy-headed, dragging through the afternoon?
—Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
At the end of the episode, everyone sits down to dinner, and Kyle makes a toast and wants to apologize to everyone for dragging them into his drama with Amanda.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
Trump’s dragging his own name and America’s name in the muck.
—Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Families in Manchester were panicking that armed and armored men would be dragging children out in front of their classmates.
—Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
Couldn’t the point about one fraud case have been made without dragging an entire community into it.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
Negotiators are showing few signs of backing down from their demands, and there’s little holding back talks from dragging on for the foreseeable future.
—Al Weaver, The Hill, 17 Feb. 2026
Eliza was eventually turned over to a bounty hunter, who, along with her original enslaver, went to Chicago and captured her, apparently dragging her down Adams Street, Krupa said.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
This time last year, UCLA was dragging the residue of a season lived in the Pac-12’s cellar, leaving the Bruins unranked in The Athletic’s preseason top 25 poll.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Groggy, foggy-headed, dragging through the afternoon?
—Hunter Boyce, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
At the end of the episode, everyone sits down to dinner, and Kyle makes a toast and wants to apologize to everyone for dragging them into his drama with Amanda.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2026
Trump’s dragging his own name and America’s name in the muck.
—Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Families in Manchester were panicking that armed and armored men would be dragging children out in front of their classmates.
—Ernesto Burden, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2026
Couldn’t the point about one fraud case have been made without dragging an entire community into it.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging
Adjective
-
That's because for many in Lahore, kite flying isn't a leisurely pastime.—
Betsy Joles,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
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From leisurely barbecues to scenic boat rides, winter skiing to a ride on the thrilling summer mountain coaster, this lake is a hub of activity and Swiss charm.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The film is incredibly, even magnificently, stylish, but beyond its initial presentation, there just isn’t very much guiding the story in any novel or exciting ways — beyond, perhaps, thematic echoes of how the less prim-and-proper tech bros of today might be pulling a fast one too.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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Heimuli rebounded from the loss to Kouokam to beat Jessica Pyatt of El Paso Pebble Hills in a consolation semifinal, pulling Pyatt down with 15 seconds left in the second period and getting a pint five seconds later.—
Rick Kretzschmar,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Bushman, who was posted with the CDC, got a medical waiver delaying her deployment on account of stress and grief.—
Amy Maxmen,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
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His company has mitigated tariff expenses by delaying store expansion and purchasing roasting equipment before the tariffs went into effect.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At 5 feet 6 inches tall, the then-20-year-old Angeleno was considered short for industry standards, but that didn't stop her from edging out frontrunners Yaya DaCosta and Amanda Swafford at the finale in Japan — or from taking bold risks, like posing with a tarantula crawling across her face.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
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Another initiative involves designing specialized robots (not humanoid) capable of crawling through mud and water to clear underground tunnels.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That builds on similar trends throughout 2025, when the industry buoyed an otherwise slow labor market, as the nation’s hospitals, clinics and nursing homes kept hiring even as many employers pulled back.—
Abha Bhattarai,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
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Any type of realism was [limited to] very short clips, everything was very slow, bad textures, no skin textures, lacking detail.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Days later, officers entered his home and beat him, before hauling him off to jail.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Fort Allen Volunteer Fire Company said that crews responding to the crash found a semi-trailer truck that was hauling produce and was fully engulfed in flames.—
Megan Shinn,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Weir was right, but those tours — whether billed as the Other Ones or the Dead — were a blend of old camaraderie and lingering friction between the members.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
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Forecasters say this pattern reflects lingering La Niña influences in the Pacific and the gradual transition toward spring.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s because one of the star ingredients, snow mushroom extract, boasts exceptional water retention, locking moisture into your hair, sealing the cuticle, and preventing humidity from creeping in.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
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When exhaustion overtakes them, something more sinister comes creeping from the shadows.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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