drag one's feet
To procrastinate, put offTo procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Meaning
2 senses(idiomatic)To procrastinate, put off; to dawdle, avoid, or make progress slowly and reluctantly.
I have been dragging my feet about filing my taxes.
herumtrödeln
волочи́ть но́гиvoločítʹ nógi, тяну́ть рези́нуtjanútʹ rezínu, тяну́ть волы́нкуtjanútʹ volýnku
(idiomatic)To intentionally stall, to delay, to obstruct.
- postpone doing what one should be doing
Origin
From the idea of walking while dragging one's feet along the ground, either from lack of eFrom the idea of walking while dragging one's feet along the ground, either from lack of enthusiasm or to intentionally slow down movement. Compare dig in one's heels (“firmly oppose”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
drags one's feet, dragging one's feet, dragged one's feet, dragged one's feetirregular
| Base form | drag one's feet · to drag one's feet |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | drags one's feet |
| Present participle | dragging one's feet |
| Past simple | dragged one's feet |
| Past participle | dragged one's feet |
Tenses
drag one's feet · dragged one's feet · will drag one's feet · have dragged one's feetPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Synonyms
7 synonyms- postpone doing what one should be doing:procrastinatestalldrag one's heelsshillyshallydilly-dallydillydally
Word family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.