drag/dræg/USA pronunciationv.,dragged, drag•ging,n., adj. v.
to pull slowly and with effort; haul:[~ + object]dragged his injured foot behind him.
to be pulled along; to move heavily or slowly and with great effort:[no object]The bride's long dress began to drag along the ground.
to search (a lake, etc.) with a net or hook:[~ + object]began to drag the lake for bodies.
to introduce or put in:[~ + object]He drags his war stories into every conversation.
to (cause to) go on for too long a time: [no object]The discussion dragged on for hours.[~ + object + out]They dragged the discussion out for three hours.[~ + out + object]to drag out a discussion.
to feel listless and exhausted; to move in such a manner:[no object]This heat has everyone dragging around.
Computing to pull (a graphic image) from one place to another on a computer monitor:[~ + object]Drag the icon and release it.
to lag behind:[no object]He's dragging behind in the race.
to take a puff:[~ + on + object]to drag on a cigarette.
to bring up (an issue) unfairly: [~ + up + object]They keep dragging up my past.[~ + object + up]They dragged those old stories up again.
n.
Nautical, Naval Terms[countable] a device for dragging the bottom of a body of water to recover objects.
Agriculture[countable] a heavy frame drawn over the ground to smooth it.
someone or something that keeps one from achieving some goal:[countable]He felt his wife had been a drag on his career as an actor.
Slang Termssomeone or something boring or uninteresting:[countable* usually: a + ~]This party's a drag.
Aeronautics[uncountable] the force in the air on a wing in motion through the air that tends to reduce its forward motion; resistance.
a puff on a cigarette, pipe, etc.:[countable]He took a drag on a cigarette.
[Slang.]clothing usually worn by the opposite sex:[uncountable]He went to the dance in drag, wearing a dress and high heel shoes.
to draw with force, effort, or difficulty; pull heavily or slowly along; haul; trail:They dragged the carpet out of the house.
to search with a drag, grapnel, or the like:They dragged the lake for the body of the missing man.
to level and smooth (land) with a drag or harrow.
to introduce; inject; insert:He drags his honorary degree into every discussion.
to protract (something) or pass (time) tediously or painfully (often fol. by out or on):They dragged the discussion out for three hours.
Computingto pull (a graphical image) from one place to another on a computer display screen, esp. by using a mouse.
v.i.
to be drawn or hauled along.
to trail on the ground.
to move heavily or with effort.
to proceed or pass with tedious slowness:The parade dragged by endlessly.
to feel listless or apathetic; move listlessly or apathetically (often fol. by around):This heat wave has everyone dragging around.
to lag behind.
to use a drag or grapnel; dredge.
to take part in a drag race.
to take a puff:to drag on a cigarette.
Idiomsdrag one's feet or heels, to act with reluctance; delay:The committee is dragging its feet coming to a decision.
n.
[Naut.]
Naval Termsa designed increase of draft toward the stern of a vessel.
Naval Termsresistance to the movement of a hull through the water.
Naval Termsany of a number of weights dragged cumulatively by a vessel sliding down ways to check its speed.
Naval Termsany object dragged in the water, as a sea anchor.
Naval Termsany device for dragging the bottom of a body of water to recover or detect objects.
Agriculturea heavy wooden or steel frame drawn over the ground to smooth it.
Slang Termssomeone or something tedious; a bore:It's a drag having to read this old novel.
a stout sledge or sled.
[Aeron.]the aerodynamic force exerted on an airfoil, airplane, or other aerodynamic body that tends to reduce its forward motion.
a four-horse sporting and passenger coach with seats inside and on top.
a metal shoe to receive a wheel of heavy wagons and serve as a brake on steep grades.
something that retards progress.
an act of dragging.
slow, laborious movement or procedure; retardation.
a puff or inhalation on a cigarette, pipe, etc.
Sport[Hunting.]
the scent left by a fox or other animal.
something, as aniseed, dragged over the ground to leave an artificial scent.
Also called drag hunt.a hunt, esp. a fox hunt, in which the hounds follow an artificial scent.
Sport[Angling.]
a brake on a fishing reel.
the sideways pull on a fishline, as caused by a crosscurrent.
clothing characteristically associated with one sex when worn by a person of the opposite sex:a Mardi Gras ball at which many of the dancers were in drag.
clothing characteristic of a particular occupation or milieu:Two guests showed up in gangster drag.
BuildingAlso called comb.[Masonry.]a steel plate with a serrated edge for dressing a stone surface.
Metallurgythe lower part of a flask. Cf. cope2 (def. 5).
Slang Termsinfluence:He claims he has drag with his senator.
Slang Termsa girl or woman that one is escorting; date.
Informal Termsa street or thoroughfare, esp. a main street of a town or city.
AutomotiveSee drag race.
Dialect Terms[Eastern New Eng.]a sledge, as for carrying stones from a field.
adj.
marked by or involving the wearing of clothing characteristically associated with the opposite sex; transvestite.
Middle Low German dragge grapnel, draggen to dredge, derivative of drag-draw; defs. 29-30, 38, obscurely related to other senses and perh. a distinct word of independent origin, originally
1350–1400; 1920–25 for def. 18; Middle English; both noun, nominal and verb, verbal probably
1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See draw.
11.See corresponding entry in Unabridged linger, loiter.
to pull or be pulled with force, esp along the ground or other surface
(tr; often followed by away or from)to persuade to come away (from something attractive or interesting): he couldn't drag himself away from the shop
to trail or cause to trail on the ground
(transitive)to move (oneself, one's feet, etc) with effort or difficulty: she drags herself out of bed at dawn
to linger behind
often followed byon or out: to prolong or be prolonged tediously or unnecessarily: his talk dragged on for hours
(tr followed by out or from)to crush (clods) or level (a soil surface) by use of a drag
(of hounds) to follow (a fox or its trail) to the place where it has been lying
(intransitive)to draw (on a cigarette, pipe, etc)
to move (data) from one place to another on the screen by manipulating a mouse with its button held down
drag anchor ⇒ (of a vessel) to move away from its mooring because the anchor has failed to hold
drag one's feet, drag one's heels ⇒ to act with deliberate slowness
the act of dragging or the state of being dragged
an implement, such as a dragnet, dredge, etc, used for dragging
Also called:drag harrowa type of harrow consisting of heavy beams, often with spikes inserted, used to crush clods, level soil, or prepare seedbeds
a sporting coach with seats inside and out, usually drawn by four horses
a braking or retarding device, such as a metal piece fitted to the underside of the wheel of a horse-drawn vehicle
a person or thing that slows up progress
slow progress or movement
the resistance to the motion of a body passing through a fluid, esp through air: applied to an aircraft in flight, it is the component of the resultant aerodynamic force measured parallel to the direction of air flow
the trail of scent left by a fox or other animal hunted with hounds
an artificial trail of a strong-smelling substance, sometimes including aniseed, drawn over the ground for hounds to follow