Meaning & use
dragging my feet
Last updated
“dragging my feet” is a form of “drag one's feet”.
Meanings
phraseidiominformalfigurative
deliberately doing something slowly or late because you do not really want to do it.
Grammar: Used as part of the verb phrase, after be or a verb such as keep: I'm dragging my feet; stop dragging your feet.
Patterns
- be dragging your feet
- be dragging your feet on something
- keep dragging your feet
The manager is dragging his feet on our request for new laptops.
Stop dragging your feet and send the email today.
They were dragging their feet over the repairs, hoping we would forget.
phraseidiom
literally pulling your feet along the ground slowly while walking.
Grammar: Used literally for the physical action; the possessive still changes with the subject.
Patterns
- walk while dragging your feet
- drag your feet along the ground
He came in dragging his feet after the long hike.
The child was dragging her feet through the sand.
Common combinations
- drag your feet on something
- The council is dragging its feet on the new parking rules.
- keep dragging your feet
- If you keep dragging your feet, we'll miss the deadline.
- accuse someone of dragging their feet
- The opposition accused the government of dragging its feet.
- stop dragging your feet
- Stop dragging your feet and make a decision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delay
- Delay is neutral and simply means making something happen later; dragging your feet suggests you are doing it on purpose because you are unwilling.
- stall
- Stall means deliberately keep something from progressing, often by talking or making excuses; dragging your feet is about moving slowly rather than actively blocking.
- procrastinate
- Procrastinate is more formal and usually about putting off tasks you could start now; dragging your feet often refers to resisting someone else's plan.
Opposites
Word family
- drag your feet phrase
- The base form of the same idiom, used with any possessive.
Commonly confused: dragging my feet or drag your heels?
dragging my feet vs drag your heels
This is a British variant with the same meaning; American speakers usually say drag your feet.
Practice
The team is ______ on the budget because they disagree with the plan.
Choose one answer.
"Dragging their feet" is the correct idiom form after is, and the possessive matches the plural subject. "Dragging their foots" uses a wrong plural, and "dragged their foot" changes the tense and number.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dragging my feet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.