Past Tense of Drag | Definition & Examples

The past tense of drag is dragged. Drag is a regular verb that forms the simple past tense and past participle by adding “-ged.”

Drag has many meanings, but most of them relate to something being moved with some difficulty from one place to the other. In its most common usage, it means “pull (with difficulty) along the ground.”

Dragged in a sentence examples
The bag was too heavy to carry, so Filip dragged it behind him.

I was desperate to go to the concert with someone, so I dragged Julie along.

Fiona was frustrated that when she dragged the image to a new location, the text became misaligned.

Note
Regular verbs form the past tense and past participle by adding “-ed” to the infinitive. In some cases where the infinitive ends in a consonant, the consonant is doubled up (e.g., “dragged,” “bagged,” “lagged,” and “snagged”).

Drug vs dragged

The correct past tense of drag is dragged, and this is the form that should always be used in academic writing. In certain southern states of the US you will often find “drug” used as the past tense of drag. This should never be used in formal writing.

Drug or dragged in a sentence examples
  • Billy didn’t want to leave, so I drug him out of the party.
  • Billy didn’t want to leave, so I dragged him out of the party.
  • Sam couldn’t lift the trunk, so he drug it through the dirt.
  • Sam couldn’t lift the trunk, so he dragged it through the dirt.

Frequently asked questions about the past tense of drag

Is drug the past tense of drag?

The past tense of drag is dragged. In some parts of the southern United States, “drug” is in common usage, but the correct spelling for academic writing is always dragged for the simple past tense and past participle.

“Drug” is a verb meaning “administer narcotics” and has the past tense “drugged.”

You can check if you are using the correct past tense of drag with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.

Is it dragged or drugged?

Dragged is the past participle and simple past tense of drag, meaning “move something along the ground with difficulty” (e.g., “Before he left for the night, Ade dragged the canoe up the beach beyond the high water mark”).

Drugged is the past tense of the verb drug, meaning “administer narcotics.” It is also an adjective referring to someone or something that has been drugged (e.g., “The drugged animals were much more docile than usual”).

Sometimes you will find drug (and perhaps even drugged) as the past tense of drag, but this is never correct in formal writing.

You can check your grammar and spelling with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.

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Trevor Marshall, MSc

Trevor has a BA in English Literature & Language and an MSc in Applied Social Studies. He has been a teacher for 25 years, with 15 years experience teaching ESL alongside 1st language students.