drag on phrasal verb (see also drag)
if an event or situation drags on, it continues for too long
drag on for
an expensive court battle that could drag on for years

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

continue to happen without stopping:
The good weather seems likely to continue.
Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.
Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.
The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
last to continue – use this to say how long something continues for:
I know my good luck won’t last forever.
It’s not certain how long the ceasefire will last.
The trial lasted for six days.
The meeting lasted until lunchtime.
The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
go on to continue, especially for a long time:
Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems:
The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want:
The meeting dragged on for another hour.
The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen:
See your doctor if the symptoms persist.
If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

continue to not stop doing something that you are already doing:
We need the money to continue our work.
They continued arguing for a long time.
Despite all the warnings, many people continue to smoke.
Sometimes she just couldn’t see the point of continuing.
My teacher advised me to continue with my studies.
go on (also carry on especially British English) to continue doing something. Go on is less formal than continue, and is the phrase that people usually use in everyday English:
Dan went on talking but she was no longer listening.
He carried on with his day job.
Sheehan has carried on with her campaign.
keep (on) doing something [not in progressive] to continue doing something for a long time – especially so that you feel tired or annoyed:
We kept on walking until we got to the top of the hill.
The man kept staring at me.
persevere /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪə, ˌpɜːsɪˈvɪə $ ˌpɜːrsəˈvɪr/ to continue trying to do something in a very patient and determined way, in spite of difficulties. Persevere sounds rather formal:
He didn’t know any English, but he persevered and became a good student.
Her health was rapidly declining but she persevered with her duties.
Stevenson persevered in his efforts to discover what had really happened.
Children today seem less willing to seek out challenges and persevere in the face of adversity.
last to continue – use this to say how long something continues for:
I know my good luck won’t last forever.
It’s not certain how long the ceasefire will last.
The trial lasted for six days.
The meeting lasted until lunchtime.
The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems:
The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want:
The meeting dragged on for another hour.
The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen:
See your doctor if the symptoms persist.
If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

last most recent or nearest to the present time:
His last film was much better.
It rained all day last Saturday.
The last time I saw her was two years ago.
previous before this one, or before the one that you are talking about:
See the diagram in the previous chapter.
His previous records had all been jazz records.
How much were you earning in your previous job?
former [only before noun] formal existing or having a particular position in the past, but not now:
the former Soviet Union
the former US president
Interest rates are unlikely to return to their former level.
the former Chief Executive
old [only before noun] used about a person or thing that existed in the past, but has been replaced by a newer one:
an old boyfriend
The old model was much slower.
final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc:
It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.
the final scene of the film
closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting:
the closing years of the twentieth century
Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way:
the concluding section of the report
the judge’s concluding remarks
penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one:
the penultimate chapter
continue to happen without stopping:
The good weather seems likely to continue.
Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.
Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.
The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
go on to continue, especially for a long time:
Disputes between neighbours can go on for years.
carry on British English to continue, especially when there are problems:
The game carried on despite the injury of two players.
drag on to continue for much longer than necessary or for longer than you want:
The meeting dragged on for another hour.
The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.
persist formal if something bad persists, it continues to exist or happen:
See your doctor if the symptoms persist.
If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

drag on
to be prolonged, to continue for a long time; to pass very slowly, to make something longer
The talks between the company and the lawyers dragged on for several weeks.

The speech was dragging on so we decided to leave early.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

drag on
v.
1. To pass very slowly.
The cold winter months dragged on until we thought spring would never come.
2. To prolong; make longer.
The meeting would have been over quickly if the members had not dragged out the argument about dues.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

a drag on someone
a burden to someone
The problems at work were a drag on my friend and he became sick because of them.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲