dragged

Dragged is the past tense and past participle of the verb drag. It describes the act of pulling something along a surface or toward a direction. It can refer to physical actions, such as dragging a chair or a suitcase, or to more figurative movements, such as dragging one’s feet or dragging a decision out longer than necessary.

The word comes from Old English dragian, with cognates in other Germanic languages such as Dutch dragen and German tragen. Over time, the form and usage broadened to cover both concrete pulling actions and metaphorical or extended uses.

In everyday language, dragged can describe both direct physical movement and extended processes. For example, a heavy object may be dragged across the floor, or a project might be dragged out over many weeks. Phrases such as drag one's feet and drag through the mud convey hesitation or harsh treatment in a negative sense. In legal or journalistic contexts, someone can be dragged into a matter, meaning involuntary involvement.

In technology, drag is a common user action in graphical interfaces. When a user clicks and holds an object and moves the cursor, the action is described as dragging; once the object is released, the action is often referred to as being dragged and dropped.

See also: drag, drag-and-drop, dragging (disambiguation).