“Drag your feet” means to move slowly or delay action because you are unwilling, hesitant, or not fully committed. It usually suggests more than simple slowness. The person or group could act sooner, but does not really want to.
The expression comes from a clear physical image: someone walks so reluctantly that their feet seem to scrape or drag along the ground. That picture of unwilling movement became a figurative way to describe delay.
You can use it for people, companies, or governments.
- The landlord dragged his feet on making repairs.
- They are dragging their feet about announcing the decision.
This phrase often carries mild criticism. If you say someone is dragging their feet, you usually mean they are delaying on purpose, or at least because of reluctance. That is why it is different from simply saying someone is slow or busy.
A helpful contrast is this: if a team misses a deadline because it has too much work, it is slow or overloaded. If it avoids making progress because it does not want to deal with the task, it is dragging its feet.
