foot-dragging

American

[foot-drag-ing] / ˈfʊtˌdræg ɪŋ /

Or footdragging

noun

First recorded in 1945–50; from the verb phrase drag one's feet

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

The bureaucratic foot-dragging has to end so that America can do the same.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

Lagarde nevertheless warned that the consequences of further foot-dragging go beyond "losing the race in AI models".

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

The Jan. 5 ceremony was far from the tired, foot-dragging telecast that it was expected to be.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025

Even some whites were bothered by the council’s foot-dragging.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023