Drag — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈdrag/

Meaning & Definition of Drag

Drag (verb)

  1. to draw or pull slowly or heavily, haul
  2. to cause to move with slowness or difficulty
  3. to cause to trail along a surface

Drag (noun)

  1. something used to drag with; especially, a device for dragging under water to detect or obtain objects
  2. something that is dragged, pulled, or drawn along or over a surface
  3. harrow
  4. entertainment in which performers caricature or challenge gender stereotypes (as by dressing in clothing that is stereotypical of another gender, by using exaggeratedly gendered mannerisms, or by combining elements of stereotypically male and female dress) and often wear elaborate or outrageous costumes —often used before another noun
  5. the costumes worn by drag performers; also, stereotypically gendered clothing worn by someone who is of a different gender
  6. costume; especially, a costume used to impersonate a person or kind of person

Drag (adjective)

  1. of, being, involving, or intended for a person wearing clothing typical of the opposite sex, of, being, involving, or intended for a person in drag

Drag (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause to follow by applying steady force on

    "the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall"

    similar: draw, hale, haul, lug, pull, tow, tug
    related: attract, heave, jerk, yank, carry, convey, ferry, move, transport
    opposite: drive, propel, push
    near: shove, thrust

  2. to move or act slowly

    "one of the climbers was beginning to drag"

    similar: crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, drag one's feet, drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

  3. to move slowly

    "the play dragged and seemed to take forever to get to its predictable conclusion"

    similar: crawl, creak (along), creep, inch, limp, nose, ooze, plod, poke, slouch, snail
    related: lumber, shamble, shuffle, tramp, trudge
    opposite: fly, race, speed, whiz, zip
    near: float, glide, sail, hurry, tear

Drag (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. someone or something boring

    "that lecture was such a drag that half of the audience fell asleep"

    similar: bore, drip, droner, dullsville, nudnik, snooze, snoozer, yawn, yawner
    related: bummer, downer, bromide, pill
    near: blast, gas (slang), kick, rush, upper

  2. a passage cleared for public vehicular travel

    "the main drag in town"

    similar: arterial, artery, avenue, boulevard, carriageway (British), drive, expressway, freeway, high road, highway, pass, pike, road, roadway, route, row, street, thoroughfare, thruway, trace, turnpike, way
    related: causeway, autobahn, autoroute, autostrada, dual carriageway (chiefly British), interstate, motorway (chiefly British), superhighway, beltway, bypass, parkway, ring road (chiefly British), corniche, switchback, through street, high street (British), Main Street, backstreet, branch, bystreet, byway, crossroad, secondary road, shunpike, side road, side street, alley, alleyway, circle, lane, laneway (British), mews (chiefly British), place, close (chiefly British), cul-de-sac, dead end, corridor, track, trail

  3. something that makes movement or progress difficult

    "the drag of stagnating wages on bringing the economy out of the recession"

    similar: balk, bar, block, chain, clog, cramp, crimp, deterrent, embarrassment, encumbrance, fetter, handicap, hindrance, holdback, hurdle, impediment, inhibition, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, shackles, stop, stumbling block, trammel
    related: catch, hitch, rub, snag, barrier, blockade, blockage, brick wall, stone wall, arrest, bit, brake, check, constraint, curb, hobble, rein, restraint, embargo, stoppage, delay, holdup, stall, burden, cumber, load, danger, hazard, peril, reef, adversity, difficulty, disadvantage, drawback, hardship
    near: catalyst, goad, impetus, incentive, spur, stimulant, stimulus, advantage, break, edge, aid, assistance, benefit, boost, handmaiden, help

  4. the portion of a serving of a beverage that is swallowed at one time

    "took a deep drag of tequila before speaking his piece"

    similar: belt, draft, drink, gulp, nip, quaff, shot, sip, slug, snort, sup, swallow, swig, swill
    related: dram, drop

  5. a person who spoils the pleasure of others

    "the teenager was mortified to be seen in public with such drags—her parents"

    similar: grinch, killjoy, party pooper, spoilsport, wet blanket
    related: fuddy-duddy, goody-goody, Goody Two-shoes, old maid, stick-in-the-mud, defeatist, Jeremiah, knocker, pessimist, complainer, crab, cynic, grouch, grump, sorehead, sourpuss, whiner, bore, downer, drip
    near: cutup, jester, live wire, carouser, celebrant, celebrator, merrymaker, rejoicer, reveler, roisterer, libertine, playboy, playgirl, rake

  6. clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation

    "they attended the Renaissance fair in medieval drag"

    similar: costume, dress, garb, getup, guise, outfit, togs
    related: apparel, attire, clothes, duds, habiliment(s), raiment, fashion, mode, style, array, caparison, vestments

Related Entry: Drag (out) (verb)

Drag (out) is a different word from Drag. The synonyms below are for drag (out), not for drag.

  1. to make longer

    "pointless questions that merely dragged out the meeting another hour"

    similar: draw out, elongate, extend, lengthen, outstretch, prolong, protract, stretch
    related: amplify, enlarge, expand, increase, attenuate, thin
    opposite: abbreviate, abridge, curtail, cut, cut back, shorten
    near: decrease, diminish, lessen, reduce, thicken

Related Entry: Drag one's feet (phrase)

Drag one's feet is a different word from Drag. The synonyms below are for drag one's feet, not for drag.

  1. to move or act slowly

    "I think she's dragging her feet on the project because she thinks it's not worth the effort."

    similar: crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Related Entry: Knock-down, drag-out (adjective)

Knock-down, drag-out is a different word from Drag. The synonyms below are for knock-down, drag-out, not for drag.

  1. marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity

    "the football game was a knock-down, drag-out battle between bitter rivals"

    similar: bang-bang, blood-and-guts, convulsive, cyclonic, explosive, ferocious, fierce, furious, hammer-and-tongs, hot, paroxysmal, rabid, rough, stormy, tempestuous, tumultuous, turbulent, violent, volcanic
    related: barbarous, brutal, savage, vicious, antagonistic, hostile, aggressive, assertive, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, gladiatorial, pugnacious, quarrelsome, truculent, combustible, volatile, agitated, frantic, frenzied, mad, cataclysmal, destructive, ruinous
    opposite: nonviolent, peaceable, peaceful
    near: calm, halcyon, pacific, serene, tranquil, nonbelligerent, unaggressive

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Drag

The most common words with a similar meaning to Drag:

British: carriageway
draw, hale, haul, lug, pull, tow, tug, crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, shilly-shally, tarry, creak (along), inch, limp, nose, ooze, plod, slouch, snail, drag one's feet, drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time, bore, drip, droner, dullsville

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Drag

Words with the opposite meaning of Drag:

drive, propel, push, barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip

Related Words for Drag

attract, heave, jerk, yank, carry, convey, ferry, move, transport, fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, lumber, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate

Near Antonyms of Drag

shove, thrust, bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake, float, glide, sail, blast, gas, kick, upper

Word Forms of Drag

Inflections: dragged, dragging, drags

Derived words: draggingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Drag

Middle English draggen "to pull, draw, transport," of uncertain origin

First known use: 15th centuryt

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Drag

Words & Phrases Containing Drag

drag race, drag-and-drop, drag bunt, drag coefficient, drag king

Frequently Asked Questions about Drag

What does "Drag" mean?

"Drag" means to draw or pull slowly or heavily, haul. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to draw or pull slowly or heavily, haul. It has 9 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Drag"?

Other words for "Drag" include draw, hale, haul, lug, pull, tow, tug and crawl. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Drag" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Drag"?

There are 264 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Drag". Common alternatives include draw, hale, haul, lug, pull, tow, tug, crawl, creep and dally.

What is the opposite of "Drag"?

Antonyms of "Drag" include drive, propel, push, barrel, bolt, career, course and dash. Near antonyms include shove, thrust, bowl and breeze.

How do you use "Drag" in a sentence?

Examples of "Drag" in a sentence: "the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall"; "one of the climbers was beginning to drag"; "the play dragged and seemed to take forever to get to its predictable conclusion".

Is "Drag" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Drag" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Drag" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Drag" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Drag"?

"Drag" is pronounced /ˈdrag/.