Definition

1. Noun:

   • The act of pulling something with force, often along a surface: The physical action of moving an object by pulling it, typically encountering resistance.
   • Something that slows progress or is boring: An obstacle, burden, or tedious activity that causes delay or lack of enjoyment.
   • Clothing conventionally worn by the opposite sex: Typically refers to men wearing women's clothing, especially for performance.
   • A slow inhalation: A long, slow pull of smoke from a cigarette or pipe.

2. Verb:

   • To pull something along with effort: To move something heavy or resistant by pulling it, often so it touches the ground.
   • To move slowly and with difficulty: To proceed at a slow, laborious, or tedious pace.
   • To search a body of water: To use hooks or nets to search the bottom of a river, lake, etc., for something.
   • To force involvement: To pull or draw someone unwillingly into a situation or conversation.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The drag of the heavy suitcase wore him out. (The effort of pulling the heavy suitcase exhausted him.)
  • This paperwork is a real drag. (This paperwork is very boring.)
  • He performed in drag for the charity show. (He performed wearing women's clothing for the charity show.)
  • She took a long drag on her cigarette. (She inhaled smoke from her cigarette slowly and deeply.)

• Verb:

  • He had to drag the fallen branch off the road. (He had to pull the fallen branch off the road.)
  • The meeting seemed to drag on forever. (The meeting seemed to continue for a very long and boring time.)
  • Police will drag the river for evidence. (Police will search the riverbed for evidence.)
  • Please don't drag me into your argument. (Please do not involve me in your argument.)

Advanced Usage

• "to drag one's feet/heels": To delay or be deliberately slow in doing something.

  • The company is dragging its feet on implementing the new policy. (The company is delaying the implementation of the new policy.)

• "to drag and drop": In computing, to move an item on a screen by selecting it and pulling it to a new location.

  • You can organize files by using the mouse to drag and drop them into folders. (You can organize files by pulling them with the mouse and releasing them into folders.)

Variants and Related Words

• Draggy (adj, informal): Tediously slow or boring.
  • The second act of the play was a bit draggy. (The second act of the play was somewhat slow and boring.)

Synonyms

• Pull, haul, tow (for the verb meaning to pull).
• Bore, nuisance, burden (for the noun meaning something tedious).
• Trail, lag, dawdle (for the verb meaning to move slowly).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Drag on: To continue for an excessively long time.

  • The legal proceedings dragged on for years. (The legal proceedings continued slowly for years.)

• Drag out: To prolong something unnecessarily.

  • They dragged out the negotiations. (They made the negotiations last longer than necessary.)

• Drag up: To mention something unpleasant from the past.

  • Why did you have to drag up that old story? (Why did you have to mention that unpleasant old story?)

Related Idioms

• A drag on something: Something that holds back progress or development.

  • High inflation is a drag on economic growth. (High inflation slows down economic growth.)

• In drag: Wearing the clothing of the opposite sex.

  • The actor was famously photographed in drag. (The actor was famously photographed wearing women's clothing.)

Noun

1. the act of dragging (pulling with force)
   • the drag up the hill exhausted him
2. a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke)
   • he took a puff on his pipe
   • he took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly
3. clothing that is conventionally worn by the opposite sex (especially women's clothing when worn by a man)
   • he went to the party dressed in drag
   • the waitresses looked like missionaries in drag
4. something tedious and boring
   • peeling potatoes is a drag
5. something that slows or delays progress
   • taxation is a drag on the economy
   • too many laws are a drag on the use of new land
6. the phenomenon of resistance to motion through a fluid

Verb

1. proceed for an extended period of time
   • The speech dragged on for two hours
2. persuade to come away from something attractive or interesting
   • He dragged me away from the television set
3. search (as the bottom of a body of water) for something valuable or lost
4. walk without lifting the feet
5. use a computer mouse to move icons on the screen and select commands from a menu
   • drag this icon to the lower right hand corner of the screen
6. suck in or take (air)
   • draw a deep breath
   • draw on a cigarette
7. to lag or linger behind
   • But in so many other areas we still are dragging
8. move slowly and as if with great effort
9. force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action
   • They were swept up by the events
   • don't drag me into this business
10. draw slowly or heavily
    • haul stones
    • haul nets
11. pull, as against a resistance
    • He dragged the big suitcase behind him
    • These worries were dragging at him