foot-dragging
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of foot-dragging
First recorded in 1945–50; from the verb phrase drag one's feet
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.
These twinned crises put the U.S. on its slow, foot-dragging path toward energy independence.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin hailed his country's ratification on Thursday as "a signal" to Europe, which the South Americans have accused of foot-dragging.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
The bureaucratic foot-dragging has to end so that America can do the same.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026
"We need to see faster action from the government and not this foot-dragging... because if nature suffers then humanity suffers as well."
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2025
Outraged by Morgan Stanley’s foot-dragging, Howie Hubler threatened to quit.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
