/ dræg; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( -gg- )
PULL
1.
[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] to pull sb/sth along with effort and difficulty :
I dragged the chair over to the window.
They dragged her from her bed.
➡ note at pull
MOVE SLOWLY
2.
[+ adv. / prep. ] to move yourself slowly and with effort :
[ vn ]
I managed to drag myself out of bed.
[ v ]
She always drags behind when we walk anywhere.
PERSUADE SB TO GO
3.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to persuade sb to come or go somewhere they do not really want to come or go to :
I'm sorry to drag you all this way in the heat.
The party was so good I couldn't drag myself away.
OF TIME
4.
[ v ] ( of time or an event ) to pass very slowly :
Time dragged terribly.
The meeting really dragged.
—see also drag on
TOUCH GROUND
5.
to move, or make sth move, partly touching the ground :
[ v ]
This dress is too long—it drags on the ground when I walk.
[ vn ]
He was dragging his coat in the mud.
SEARCH RIVER
6.
[ vn ] drag sth (for sb/sth) to search the bottom of a river, lake, etc. with nets or hooks :
They dragged the canal for the missing children.
COMPUTING
7.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to move some text, an icon , etc. across the screen of a computer using the mouse
•
IDIOMS
- drag your feet / heels
—more at bootstrap
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- drag by
- drag sb down
- drag sb/sth down (to sth)
- drag sth/sb into sth | drag sth/sb in
- drag on
- drag sth out
- drag sth out of sb
- drag sth up
■ noun
BORING PERSON / THING
1.
[ sing. ] ( informal ) a boring person or thing; sth that is annoying :
He's such a drag.
Walking's a drag—let's drive there.
Having to work late every day is a drag.
SB / STH STOPPING PROGRESS
2.
[ sing. ] a ~ on sb/sth ( informal ) a person or thing that makes progress difficult :
He came to be seen as a drag on his own party's prospects.
ON CIGARETTE
3.
[ C ] ( informal ) an act of breathing in smoke from a cigarette, etc.
SYN draw :
She took a long drag on her cigarette.
WOMEN'S CLOTHES
4.
[ U ] ( informal ) clothes that are usually worn by the opposite sex (usually women's clothes worn by men) :
He performed in drag.
a drag queen (= a man who dresses in women's clothes, usually in order to entertain people)
PHYSICS
5.
[ U ] the force of the air that acts against the movement of an aircraft or other vehicle
—see also main drag
—compare lift
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old English dragan or Old Norse draga to draw; the noun partly from Middle Low German dragge grapnel, a grappling hook.