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
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Recent Examples of dragging
Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Many fans on social media are lauding his accomplishment of dragging a bloated corpse of a roster to a 3-0 series lead at 41 years of age without Austin Reaves or Luka Doncic in the fold.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
With her hands still tied together and the rope dragging behind her, Sasha makes her escape and jumps into a rushing river that leads out of the cave.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
There is the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, and children playing ball, shopkeepers chatting on the doorstep of their stores, flushed tourists dragging their suitcases all around.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Congressional leaders, wired to protect their own and afraid of upsetting their narrow margins, are famous for shrouding ethics investigations in secrecy and dragging them out for years.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
The property sector slump in China has still not yet fully recovered, which has weighed on home prices across the country and impacted consumption and investment sentiment, dragging on China's broader economic growth.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.
—Literary Hub, 27 Apr. 2026
Even the sleeker Samsonite Proxis feels substantial without dragging you over the limit.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Many fans on social media are lauding his accomplishment of dragging a bloated corpse of a roster to a 3-0 series lead at 41 years of age without Austin Reaves or Luka Doncic in the fold.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
With her hands still tied together and the rope dragging behind her, Sasha makes her escape and jumps into a rushing river that leads out of the cave.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
After dragging Newport from right to left and back to the right again, holding midfielder Ashley Charles goes over the top to find Ilunga on the right.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
There is the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva, and children playing ball, shopkeepers chatting on the doorstep of their stores, flushed tourists dragging their suitcases all around.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Congressional leaders, wired to protect their own and afraid of upsetting their narrow margins, are famous for shrouding ethics investigations in secrecy and dragging them out for years.
—Mary Ellen Klas, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
The property sector slump in China has still not yet fully recovered, which has weighed on home prices across the country and impacted consumption and investment sentiment, dragging on China's broader economic growth.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging
Adjective
-
Spend the next few hours strolling around the Davidson College campus, shopping for a new read at Main Street Books or a charming memento at Honeysuckle Home, and having a leisurely lunch at The Pickled Peach.—
Lydia Mansel,
Southern Living,
1 May 2026
-
Riva Beach Club Sip an Aperol spritz or a glass of Swiss merlot after a leisurely lake swim at Riva Beach Club, a boutique hotel whose beachside access in Vira—the historical center of Gambarogno—is hard to beat.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
The Moon in Sagittarius moves through your 9th House of Perspective, pulling you toward bigger plans and bold ideas that feel exciting.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
4 May 2026
-
Police tried pulling him over around the area of Beverly and San Vicente boulevards, a major intersection adjacent to the Beverly Center shopping mall and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
San Diego is delaying most impacts of a new state law that requires cities to allow high-rise housing near trolley stations and major bus stops — but questions persist about how many bus stops the new law will affect.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Yamaha’s plant shut down due to Covid-19, delaying TCW’s ability to retrieve and return the equipment in the allotted time, but Evergreen still charged the fees.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Ahmed Moustafa, who operates a halal cart near Yankee Stadium, is still crawling out from the pandemic.—
Yuna Kim,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
-
Detroit then went to Orlando and extended its hopes yet again — crawling out of a 24-point hole through a historic clampdown.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
Adjective
-
But so far, progress has been slow — if not nonexistent.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Russia’s bigger and better-equipped army has been engaged in a slow, hard slog in Ukraine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Her social media feed piled up with video after video of polar bear rescues, such as fishermen or scientists hauling a freezing, struggling baby polar bear onto a ship.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
The new law, which took effect in October, requires tow truck companies to give owners notice before hauling away a car for minor issues like failing to display an apartment complex’s parking permit or parking in the wrong space.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While coverage is expected to be more scattered, isolated strong to severe storms could still produce hail and gusty winds, particularly where daytime heating and lingering boundaries overlap.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The two men dined at a table alone, lingering long after all other diners had dispersed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For another easy-to-care-for choice that relishes sunlight, look to creeping juniper and its beautifully hazy blue-green leaves.—
Melissa Epifano,
The Spruce,
28 Apr. 2026
-
That dingy look creeping across the screens and settling on every surface?—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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