Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

foot-dragging

/ˈfʊtˌdɹæɡɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.78 in modern English

Syllables: foot--drag-ging
IPA: /ˈfʊtˌdɹæɡɪŋ/

19

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The deliberate delaying of, or reluctance to take, obligatory action.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I am glad to be able to say that common honesty, or some shadowy simulacrum of it, revived presently and sent me back to the hotel, though not without terrible foot-draggings, you may be sure."
"The tactics of pace-setting, foot-dragging, least resistance or fence-sitting could be used either in the making of policy or, later, in its implementation, reflecting types of adaptation[…]."
"Once in the classroom, students also employed foot-dragging strategies to slow the transition from the hall state to the student state."
"A Beijing diplomat complained China is "fed up with the footdragging" of Burma's strongman, General Than Shwe, and his inner circle, one of the cables, released by WikiLeaks, reported."
"Given that (English) politicians are noted for foot-dragging on electrification schemes, will they use these new locomotives simply as an excuse to defer more electrification schemes?"

Etymology

From foot + dragging, from drag one’s feet, referring to the idea of walking while dragging one’s feet along the ground, either from lack of enthusiasm or to intentionally slow down movement.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfʊtˌdɹæɡɪŋ/
British English: /ˈfʊtˌdɹæɡɪŋ/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

foot-draggings (plural)

Phrases

drag one's feet drag one's heels delaying tactic one's ass is dragging

Frequently Paired Words

drag one's feet drag one's heels delaying tactic one's ass is dragging taildragger footdragging

Synonyms

slowball slow-walking

Questions

How do you pronounce foot-dragging?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfʊtˌdɹæɡɪŋ/.
What does foot-dragging mean?: The deliberate delaying of, or reluctance to take, obligatory action.
Where does foot-dragging come from?: From foot + dragging, from drag one’s feet, referring to the idea of walking while dragging one’s feet along the ground, either from lack of enthusiasm or to intentionally slow down movement.

How to pronounce foot-dragging

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