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

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Some Republican senators fear House conservatives may try to drag out any spending deal next year past April 2025 to trigger automatic spending cuts, which would affect defense and nondefense programs alike. —

Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024 Democrats are hoping to meet or surpass Trump's judicial confirmations from his first term, but have run into resistance from Republicans in recent weeks who are looking to drag out the process. —

Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2024 Ordered to ‘drag out’ lawmakers Details are still emerging about the events of Dec. 3-4, including the deployment of troops to the National Assembly in the South Korean capital, after Yoon declared martial law in a surprise late-night address. —

Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 11 Dec. 2024 This Administration put up roadblock after roadblock on Israel and dragged out this conflict. —

Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for drag out