drag out

phrasal verb

dragged out; dragging out; drags out

: to cause (something) to take more time than necessary

He dragged out the speech much too long.

: to force (something, such as a confession) from (someone) : to make (someone) tell one (something)

The teacher eventually dragged a confession out of one of the students.

Doctors sometimes have to drag information out of their patients.

Examples of drag out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Vote counting delays due to mail-in or absentee voting are also expected to drag out the declaration of winners in key swing states. —

Hans Nichols, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024 Some stories and mysteries feel like they’re being dragged out for no reason. —

Erik Kain, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 Hamas has accused Israel of dragging out months of negotiations by issuing new demands, including for lasting Israeli control over the Philadelphi corridor and a second corridor running across Gaza. —

Tia Goldenberg, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2024 That means the case could go back to the Supreme Court a second time and get dragged out further before going to trial. —

Alison Durkee, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for drag out