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
Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Samuel cut inside off an excellent lead block by Croskey-Merritt and shed nickel back Dru Phillips’ tackle attempt before dragging linebacker Bobby Okereke with him to the goal line for a touchdown.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Several were cut, possibly by a ship attacked by the Houthis dragging its anchor, but the rebels denied being responsible.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
And it's been dragging on for years, with the Commission opening formal proceedings in June 2021 and sending the company a Statement of Objections a year later.
—Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
But the 50% tariffs against New Delhi have had little effect so far – bar dragging Modi to Beijing and into Putin’s limo – and apparently increasing India’s purchases of Russian oil by 15% to 50% in the coming months, according to sources describing Indian oil markets to CNN.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Even as a player, Cole remembers sitting in the dugout sometimes and thinking how much a game was dragging along.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Since the deal closed in 2015, Kraft Heinz shares had tumbled nearly 70% as of Friday's close, dragging the company's market value down to $33 billion.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
The stock market seems to have soured on Saudi Aramco dragging its shares to the lowest levels on record.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Sesame and potato as a combo is, in fact, reminiscent of the days of our collective childhoods, when experimentation looked like dragging Wendy’s fries through a vanilla Frosty.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Samuel cut inside off an excellent lead block by Croskey-Merritt and shed nickel back Dru Phillips’ tackle attempt before dragging linebacker Bobby Okereke with him to the goal line for a touchdown.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Several were cut, possibly by a ship attacked by the Houthis dragging its anchor, but the rebels denied being responsible.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
And it's been dragging on for years, with the Commission opening formal proceedings in June 2021 and sending the company a Statement of Objections a year later.
—Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
But the 50% tariffs against New Delhi have had little effect so far – bar dragging Modi to Beijing and into Putin’s limo – and apparently increasing India’s purchases of Russian oil by 15% to 50% in the coming months, according to sources describing Indian oil markets to CNN.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Even as a player, Cole remembers sitting in the dugout sometimes and thinking how much a game was dragging along.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
Since the deal closed in 2015, Kraft Heinz shares had tumbled nearly 70% as of Friday's close, dragging the company's market value down to $33 billion.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
The stock market seems to have soured on Saudi Aramco dragging its shares to the lowest levels on record.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging
Adjective
-
The leisurely trips meander along the Snake River, near Grand Teton National Park, for several hours.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Once a working farm in the time of the gold rush, since 1962 the Greenhorn has been a place where the day is taken at a leisurely pace, where visitors soak in the 600 acres that abuts to 500,000 more acres of public land.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Running back Henry Rutledge is awaiting the results of an MRI for a lower-body injury after pulling himself after playing five snaps against North Carolina.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Companies that committed to DEI efforts and made public statements are now pulling back from those policies, editing their websites, disbanding employee resource groups, and quietly abandoning inclusive hiring goals.—
C200,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The long-term effect is a generation carrying debt, stuck in low-wage jobs, and delaying milestones like homeownership or starting families.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Flush-fit door handles fail far more often during side impacts than regular handles, delaying egress or rescue time after a crash.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Her grandkids are crawling into trouble.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Crews are also engaged in mopping up, addressing hot spots, and back-hauling equipment on the eastern, southern, and western sides of the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
And it’s mostly designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon rockets by hauling satellites and other cargo to Earth’s orbit at a fraction of the price of older technologies.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In 2009, Tropicana replaced its familiar logo, an orange with a straw poking out, with a minimalist design featuring a glass of orange juice.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another client, a senior executive negotiating a promotion, felt the old narrative of 'don’t ask for too much' creeping in mid-discussion.—
Naz Beheshti,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Fire was backing and creeping throughout the night.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dragging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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