Showing results for a drag. Search instead for to drag.

a drag

Idioms

A tedious experience, a bore, as in After several thousand times, signing your autograph can be a drag. This seemingly modern term was army slang during the Civil War. The allusion probably is to drag as something that impedes progress. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

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.

He also noticed subtle changes in the way he walked, including times when his heels seemed to drag.

From Science Daily • Jun. 22, 2026

They concluded there was no viable mechanism for restoring Russell to where he could have finished, and it would not serve anybody to drag it all on.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Oil prices have recently traded in lockstep with Treasury yields, and lower Treasury yields tend to drag the dollar lower as well.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 18, 2026

The hit to industry is expected to drag on growth in the second quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026

Dad’s going to drag me to school, and my name will be mud for ratting them out.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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