Dragging — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun phrase adjective /ˈdrag/ (verb) /ˈfu̇t-ˌdra-giŋ/ (noun)

Meaning & Definition of Dragging

Dragging (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
  4. to fall in drops
  5. to fall unexpectedly or suddenly
  6. to descend from one line or level to another
  7. to force (someone) into a bad situation or condition
  8. to make (someone) unhappy
  9. to make (something) lower in amount or quality
  10. to involve (a person, group, etc.) in (a difficult or complicated situation)
  11. to cause (something) to take more time than necessary
  12. to force (something, such as a confession) from (someone), to make (someone) tell one (something)

Dragging (noun)

  1. failure to act with the necessary promptness or vigor

Dragging (phrase)

  1. to act in a deliberately slow or dilatory manner

Dragging (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed

    "a mysterious, cloaked figure with a strange, dragging walk"

    similar: crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, laggard, lagging, languid, leisurely, poking, poky, slow, sluggish, snail-paced, snaillike, tardy, unhurried
    related: deliberate, measured, inactive, inert, lethargic, loafing, lounging, lingering, loitering, tarrying, ambling, heavy-footed, inching, plodding, shuffling, slow-footed, strolling, decelerating, slowing, filibustering, procrastinating, stalling
    opposite: barreling, bolting, breakneck, breathless, brisk, careering, dizzy, fast, fleet, flying, hasty, hurrying, lightning, meteoric, quick, racing, rapid, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, snappy, speeding, speedy, swift, warp-speed, whirling, whirlwind, whisking, zipping
    near: expeditious, prompt, ready, accelerated, hastened, quickened, hurried, rushed

Dragging (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause to follow by applying steady force on

    "the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall"

    similar: drawing, haling, hauling, lugging, pulling, towing, tugging
    related: attracting, heaving, jerking, yanking, carrying, conveying, ferrying, moving, transporting
    opposite: driving, propelling, pushing
    near: shoving, thrusting

  2. to move or act slowly

    "one of the climbers was beginning to drag"

    similar: crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, delaying, diddling, dillydallying, lagging, lingering, loitering, lollygagging, moping, poking, shilly-shallying, tarrying, dragging one's feet, dropping behind, falling behind, hanging fire, marking time, taking one's time
    related: fiddling (around), fooling around, messing around, monkeying (around), playing, pottering (around), puttering (around), trifling, hanging (around or out), idling, loafing, lolling, lounging, ambling, easing, inching, lumbering, plodding, sauntering, shuffling, staggering, strolling, decelerating, slowing (down or up), filibustering, procrastinating, stalling, temporizing
    opposite: barreling, bolting, careering, coursing, dashing, flying, hastening, hotfooting (it), hurrying, racing, ripping, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, speeding, tearing, whirling, whisking, whizzing, zipping
    near: bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, running, sprinting, trotting, accelerating, quickening, speeding (up), catching up, fast-forwarding, outpacing, outrunning, outstripping, overtaking

  3. to move slowly

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

    similar: crawling, creaking (along), creeping, inching, limping, nosing, oozing, plodding, poking, slouching, snailing
    related: lumbering, shambling, shuffling, tramping, trudging
    opposite: flying, racing, speeding, whizzing, zipping
    near: floating, gliding, sailing, hurrying, tearing

Related Entry: Drag (verb)

Drag is a different word from Dragging. The synonyms below are for drag, not for dragging.

  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

Related Entry: Drag (out) (verb)

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

  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: Dragging one's feet (phrase)

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

  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: crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, delaying, diddling, dillydallying, dragging, lagging, lingering, loitering, lollygagging, moping, poking, shilly-shallying, tarrying, dropping behind, falling behind, hanging fire, marking time, taking one's time
    related: fiddling (around), fooling around, messing around, monkeying (around), playing, pottering (around), puttering (around), trifling, hanging (around or out), idling, loafing, lolling, lounging, ambling, easing, inching, lumbering, plodding, sauntering, shuffling, staggering, strolling, decelerating, slowing (down or up), filibustering, procrastinating, stalling, temporizing
    opposite: barreling, bolting, careering, coursing, dashing, flying, hastening, hotfooting (it), hurrying, racing, ripping, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, speeding, tearing, whirling, whisking, whizzing, zipping
    near: bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, running, sprinting, trotting, accelerating, quickening, speeding (up), catching up, fast-forwarding, outpacing, outrunning, outstripping, overtaking

Related Entry: Foot-dragging (noun)

Foot-dragging is a different word from Dragging. The synonyms below are for foot-dragging, not for dragging.

  1. failure to do something quickly because you do not want to do it

    "bureaucrats criticized for foot-dragging on important issues"

    similar: hesitation, lag, pause, setback, slowdown, delay, detainment, detention, holdback, holding pattern, holdup, wait, deferment, deferral, postponement, reprieve, respite
    opposite: haste, rush, dispatch, promptitude, promptness

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Dragging

The most common words with a similar meaning to Dragging:

crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, laggard, lagging, languid, leisurely, poking, poky, slow, sluggish, snail-paced, snaillike, tardy, unhurried, drawing, haling, hauling, lugging, pulling, towing, tugging, delaying, diddling, lingering, loitering, lollygagging, moping, shilly-shallying, tarrying, creaking (along), inching, limping, nosing, oozing, plodding, slouching

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Dragging

Words with the opposite meaning of Dragging:

barreling, bolting, breakneck, breathless, brisk, careering, dizzy, fast, fleet, flying, hasty, hurrying, lightning, meteoric, quick, racing, rapid, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, snappy, speeding, speedy, swift, warp-speed, whirling, whirlwind

Related Words for Dragging

deliberate, measured, inactive, inert, lethargic, loafing, lounging, ambling, heavy-footed, shuffling, slow-footed, strolling, decelerating, slowing, filibustering, procrastinating, stalling, attracting, heaving, jerking, yanking, carrying, conveying, ferrying, moving, transporting, fiddling (around), fooling around, messing around, monkeying (around)

Near Antonyms of Dragging

expeditious, prompt, ready, accelerated, hastened, quickened, hurried, rushed, shoving, thrusting, bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, sprinting, trotting, accelerating, quickening, speeding (up), catching up, fast-forwarding, outpacing, outrunning, outstripping

Word Forms of Dragging

Inflections: dragged, drags, dropped, dropping, drops, dragged down, dragging down, drags down, dragged into, dragging into, drags into, dragged out, dragging out, drags out

Derived words: draggingly (adverb), droppable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Dragging

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

First known use: 15th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Dragging

foot-dragging

Frequently Asked Questions about Dragging

What does "Dragging" mean?

"Dragging" means to draw or pull slowly or heavily, haul. As an a verb, a noun, a phrase and an adjective, it is defined as: to draw or pull slowly or heavily, haul. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Dragging"?

Other words for "Dragging" include crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, laggard and lagging. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Dragging" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Dragging"?

There are 93 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Dragging". Common alternatives include crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, laggard, lagging, languid and leisurely.

What is the opposite of "Dragging"?

Antonyms of "Dragging" include barreling, bolting, breakneck, breathless, brisk, careering, dizzy and fast. Near antonyms include expeditious, prompt, ready and accelerated.

How do you use "Dragging" in a sentence?

Examples of "Dragging" in a sentence: "a mysterious, cloaked figure with a strange, dragging walk"; "the deliveryman dragged the barrels over against the wall"; "one of the climbers was beginning to drag".

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

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

How do you pronounce "Dragging"?

"Dragging" is pronounced /ˈdrag/ as a verb and /ˈfu̇t-ˌdra-giŋ/ as a noun.

What is the origin of the word "Dragging"?

"Dragging" comes from Middle English draggen "to pull, draw, transport," of uncertain origin. First known use: 15th centuryt.