drag

verb (drags, dragging, dragged)

• 1 [with object and adverbial of direction] pull (someone or something) along forcefully, roughly, or with difficulty:we dragged the boat up the beach
• take (someone) to or from a place or event, despite their reluctance:my girlfriend is dragging me off to Rhodes for a week
• (drag oneself) go somewhere wearily, reluctantly, or with difficulty:I have to drag myself out of bed each day
• move (an image or highlighted text) across a computer screen using a tool such as a mouse: you can move the icons into this group by dragging them in with the mouse
• [no object] (of a person’s clothes or an animal’s tail) trail along the ground:the nuns walked in meditation, their habits dragging on the grassy verge
• [no object] (drag at) catch hold of and pull (something):desperately, Jinny dragged at his arm
• [with object] (of a ship) trail (an anchor) along the seabed, drifting in the process: the coaster was dragging her anchor in St Ives Bay [no object]:the anchor did not hold and they dragged further through the water
• [no object] (of an anchor) fail to hold, causing a ship or boat to drift: his anchor had dragged and he found himself sailing out to sea
• [with object] search the bottom of (a river, lake, or the sea) with grapnels or nets:frogmen had dragged the local river

• 2 [no object] (of time) pass slowly and tediously:the day dragged—eventually it was time for bed
• (drag on) (of a process or situation) continue at tedious and unnecessary length:the dispute between the two families dragged on for some years
• [with object] (drag something out) protract something unnecessarily:he dragged out the process of serving them

noun

• 1 [mass noun] the action of pulling something forcefully or with difficulty:the drag of the current
• the longitudinal retarding force exerted by air or other fluid surrounding a moving object: the coating reduces aerodynamic drag
• [in singular] a person or thing that impedes progress or development:Larry was turning out to be a drag on her career
• Angling unnatural motion of a fishing fly caused by the pull of the line.
• [count noun] archaic an iron shoe that can be applied as a brake to the wheel of a cart or wagon.

• 2 [in singular] informal a boring or tiresome person or thing:working nine to five can be a drag

• 3 informal an act of inhaling smoke from a cigarette:he took a long drag on his cigarette

• 4 [mass noun] clothing more conventionally worn by the opposite sex, especially women’s clothes worn by a man:a fashion show, complete with men in drag

• 5 informal a street or road:the main drag is wide but there are few vehicles

• 6 historical a private vehicle like a stagecoach, drawn by four horses.
• British informal, dated a car:a stately great drag with a smart chauffeur

• 7short for drag race.

• 8a thing that is pulled along the ground or through water, in particular:
• historical a harrow used for breaking up the surface of land.
• an apparatus for dredging or for recovering objects from the bottom of a river or lake.
• another term for dragnet.

• 9a strong-smelling lure drawn before hounds as a substitute for a fox.
• a hunt using a drag lure.

• 10 [mass noun] North American informal influence over other people:they had the education but they didn’t have the drag

• 11 Music one of the basic patterns (rudiments) of drumming, consisting of a stroke preceded by two grace notes usually played with the other stick. See also ruff⁴.