1 B1 idiomatic neutral
To make a process, event, or activity last much longer than is necessary.
"Don't drag out the goodbye — you're making it harder for everyone."
separable
drag out
B1 neutral separable transitive
To make something last longer than necessary, or to pull someone or something out of a place by force.
In plain English
To make something take more time than it needs to, or to pull someone out of somewhere roughly.
What does "drag out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To pull someone or something out of a place forcibly or with difficulty.
"Firefighters dragged the man out of the burning building."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To obtain information from someone with great difficulty.
"It took all morning to drag out the full story from him."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To pull something out by dragging it.
Actually means
To make something take more time than it needs to, or to pull someone out of somewhere roughly.
Usage tip
Has both a physical and figurative sense. The figurative sense (prolonging something) is very common. The physical sense (pulling something out forcibly) is also natural. Both are frequent in everyday English.
Words that pair with "drag out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
process meeting negotiation speech body information secret
How to conjugate "drag out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
drag out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
drags out
he/she/it
Past simple
draged out
yesterday
Past participle
draged out
have + pp
-ing form
draging out
continuous
Hear "drag out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "drag out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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