dragline
Americannoun
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another word for dragrope
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Also called: dragline crane. dragline excavator. a power shovel that operates by being dragged by cables at the end of an arm or jib: used for quarrying, opencast mining, etc
Etymology
Origin of dragline
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spider dragline silk is known for its extraordinary performance.
From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2026
“The West Coast markets are what created this,” Anne Hedges says, as we watch a dragline move dirt.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2024
This study focused on the proteins found in dragline silk, which serves as a sort of bungee cord for spiders dangling from their webs or ceilings.
From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2020
Wood also suspects that pelican spiders can follow the dragline of silk all spiders leave behind when they walk.
From National Geographic • Jan. 11, 2018
“Now make an attachment with your spinnerets, hurl yourself into space, and let out a dragline as you go down!”
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
