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
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
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Diggs began choking him before dragging him into the nearby alley.
—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Tech is dragging global stock markets lower Tuesday, with the sell-off driven primarily by chipmakers.
—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
In one stunning shot, a dragon surges into battle, casually dragging a toe across the water.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Jace’s dragon Vermax is then struck with a ballista bolt, dragging Jace into the water.
—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
22 June 2026
The man’s emergency parachute deployed outside the airplane, dragging him into the horizontal stabilizer.
—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
The chaos allows a Triarchy ship to harpoon Jace's dragon, Vermax, dragging the flailing creature down into the ocean, along with Rhaenyra's heir.
—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 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
Verb
Yet the latest round of fighting has underscored the group’s resilience, dragging Lebanon into a regional war and drawing the Israeli military back to a familiar southern Lebanon terrain.
—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police Diggs began choking him before dragging him into the nearby alley.
—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Tech is dragging global stock markets lower Tuesday, with the sell-off driven primarily by chipmakers.
—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
In one stunning shot, a dragon surges into battle, casually dragging a toe across the water.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Jace’s dragon Vermax is then struck with a ballista bolt, dragging Jace into the water.
—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
22 June 2026
The man’s emergency parachute deployed outside the airplane, dragging him into the horizontal stabilizer.
—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
The chaos allows a Triarchy ship to harpoon Jace's dragon, Vermax, dragging the flailing creature down into the ocean, along with Rhaenyra's heir.
—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging
Adjective
-
Streaming shows — with their more leisurely pace and longer arcs — have simply been able to come by and iterate.
-
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.
Verb
-
The beast screamed and flew away, pulling an attached anchor into the water.
-
Launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, Swift remains scientifically valuable, but atmospheric drag has been pulling it dangerously close to Earth.
Verb
-
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.
-
The remaining providers are stretched thin, and patients are traveling farther for care — often delaying prenatal visits or arriving in labor without adequate support.
Verb
-
Add a Physical Barrier Since ticks prefer to hide in grass and other plants and brush, adding a non-plant barrier like wood chips or gravel can stop ticks from ever crawling into your yard.
-
The video shows an officer tumbling on the ground, crawling in front of a parked car for cover and ultimately becoming fully prone.
Adjective
-
The Virgo moon invites you to take a slower pace today.
-
The Targaryen civil war has been a bit of a slow burn so far, though both sides of the family have suffered major casualties.
Verb
-
Alternative disposal methods such as chipping or hauling landscape debris to a green waste facility can help reduce fire risk without open burning.
-
The Indians had been hauling timber with him.
Verb
-
But for a growing number of older people, those retirement years are arriving with lingering debt problems attached.
-
Irving remains on the roster amid lingering questions about his future after missing all of last season.
Verb
-
Best Prime Day Matching Sets for Summer Summer temperatures are already creeping in, serving as a friendly reminder that pants aren’t always a fit for June.
-
Humidity starts creeping back up on Thursday.
Cite this Entry
“Dragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
