foot-dragging

or foot·drag·ging

[ foot-drag-ing ]

noun

1. reluctance or failure to proceed or act promptly.

Word History and Origins

Origin of foot-dragging¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from the verb phrase drag one's feet

Example Sentences

State legislatures set certification deadlines, which should override administrative foot-dragging even if sanctioned by state election boards.

From Slate

The families have complained for years about what they call foot-dragging by authorities.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, we have seen weeks now of foot-dragging, leaking, and piecemeal intraparty fighting.

From Salon

The other three strong indictments against him in other jurisdictions have unfortunately been delayed by a corrupt judge, a foot-dragging Supreme Court, and a district attorney’s questionable conduct in an already complex case.

From Slate

Foot-dragging — by the Supreme Court, where three Trump appointees sit, and at the Florida district court where a Trump-appointed judge presides — has all but assured that voters won’t get criminal verdicts before election day on the former president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat and to squirrel away top-secret documents.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• barrier
• deterrent
• drawback
• handicap
• hitch
• impediment
• interference
• interruption
• obstacle
• snag
• stumbling block