DRAGGING (OUT) Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

dragging (out)

verb

present participle of drag (out)

as in lengthening

to make longer pointless questions that merely dragged out the meeting another hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dragging (out)

Verb

Longini explained that climate change is increasing mosquito populations and lengthening their active seasons, contributing to dengue’s spread globally.

— Alex DeLuca, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
In both countries, falling fertility rates and lengthening lifespans keep worsening the fiscal picture.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of lengthening

Verb

This year, Democrats would seem to have an advantage drawing out voters, given the general anti-Trump mood.

— Dan Simmons, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Senate race Collins has stuck by Trump in a political bet that drawing out Georgia's MAGA base will give him his best shot at winning in November.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of drawing out

Verb

But the company’s stock has gone nowhere over the past two years, as Instacart struggled to find new paths to growth while facing increasing competition from Amazon and Walmart’s grocery-delivery offerings.

— Rob Wile, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
For a while, the music hangs there, pieces echoing each other with increasing intensity.

— Vanessa Ague, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of increasing

Verb

Assemblyman Nick Schultz floated the idea of extending the expiration date of the state program, which is currently set to sunset in 2030, as a way of offering greater certainty to productions.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
That makes proposals such as extending the sales tax to more services or taxing retirement income, both of which Pritzker has repeatedly rejected, politically unpalatable.

— Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of extending

Verb

Like several other important fossils previously sold at auction, Jodi comes from Hell Creek Formation, a geological boneyard stretching across Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas.

— Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2026
He was noticed stretching on the sideline and trying to keep his back loose with trainers, but to no avail.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of stretching

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

dragging one's feet

dragging (out)

draggle

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dragging (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dragging%20%28out%29. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of dragging (out)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Pyrrhic

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes