drag

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
drag/draɡ/

▶verb (drags, dragging, dragged)

• 1 pull along forcefully, roughly, or with difficulty.

  ■ take (someone) somewhere, despite their reluctance.

  ■ move (an image) across a computer screen using a mouse.

• 2 trail along the ground.

  ■ search the bottom of (a body of water) with grapnels or nets.

• 3 (drag something up) informal deliberately mention something unwelcome.

• 4 (of time) pass slowly and tediously.

  ■ (drag something out) protract something unnecessarily.

• 5 (drag on) informal inhale the smoke from (a cigarette).

• 6 (drag someone up) Brit. dated bring up a child badly.

▶noun

• 1 the action of dragging.

• 2 the longitudinal retarding force exerted by air or other fluid surrounding a moving object.

• 3 informal a boring or tiresome person or thing.

• 4 informal an act of inhaling smoke from a cigarette.

• 5 women's clothing worn by a man: men in drag.

• 6 a drag race.

• 7 informal, chiefly N. Amer. a street or road: the main drag.

• 8 historical a private vehicle like a stagecoach, drawn by four horses.

• 9 an apparatus for dredging or for recovering objects from the bottom of water.

• 10 historical a harrow used for breaking up the surface of land.

• 11 archaic an iron shoe applied as a brake to a wheel.

• 12 N. Amer. informal influence over other people.

• 13 a strong-smelling lure drawn before hounds as a substitute for a fox.

• 14 Music (in drumming) a basic pattern consisting of a stroke preceded by two grace notes played with the other stick.

– phrases
drag one's feet

• 1 walk wearily or with difficulty.

• 2 (also drag one's heels) be deliberately slow to act.

– origin ME: from OE dragan or ON draga ‘to draw’.