drag your feet

Meaning

To drag your feet means to act slowly or delay making a decision because you do not want to do something. It is often used when someone is intentionally procrastinating or hesitating. The tone can be slightly critical or encouraging, depending on whether you are urging someone to hurry up.

Examples

• If you keep dragging your feet on booking those tickets, they're going to sell out.

  If you keep dragging your feet on booking those tickets, they're going to sell out.

• The government is dragging its feet on passing the new environmental laws.

  The government is dragging its feet on passing the new environmental laws.

• Stop dragging your feet and clean your room; we need to leave in ten minutes.

  Stop dragging your feet and clean your room; we need to leave in ten minutes.

• She's dragging her feet about signing the contract because she's not sure she wants the job.

  She's dragging her feet about signing the contract because she's not sure she wants the job.

• I know you don't want to call the dentist, but you can't drag your feet forever.

  I know you don't want to call the dentist, but you can't drag your feet forever.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He is dragging his foot to make a decision.

  ✓ He is dragging his feet on making a decision.

  The idiom is always plural ('feet', not 'foot') and is usually followed by the preposition 'on' or 'about' when referring to the delayed action.

• ✗ Don't drag the feet.

  ✓ Don't drag your feet.

  This idiom requires a possessive adjective (my, your, his, her, their, its) matching the subject, rather than the definite article 'the'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The company has been ___ on approving our budget for next quarter.

  💡 The company is delaying the decision.

  Show answer

  dragging its feet

• I'm not trying to ___, I just want to make sure we've considered all the options.

  💡 I'm not trying to delay things on purpose.

  Show answer

  drag my feet

• If you ___ any longer, we are going to miss the deadline.

  💡 If you delay or procrastinate any longer.

  Show answer

  drag your feet