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Glite Dictionary
to drag in

to drag in

8 6.0
To involve someone in a situation they do not want to be part of
  • phrasal verb
  • /dræɡ ɪn/
translation icon : involucrar
  • They're going to drag us in, whether we like it or not.
  • dragged him in here
  • get dragged in

OK, so the first question was something about, oh, drag in the Me Too movement.

Examples

  • You mean she dragged you in there by force?

    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

  • I have been dragged into it in the past... and I have lost an appalling amount of money.

    The House of Mirth (2000)

  • They did it, and no one else, except people dragged in with them!

    Blog text (1)

  • Rosie, I don't know why you're dragging me in here.

    I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

  • In addition to this attraction, the isolation of Sainte Marie prevented its residents from getting dragged into the conflicts in mainland Madagascar.

    Academic text (2005)

  • I didn't want to get involved in the argument, but they dragged me in anyway.

  • She tried to keep her friends out of the drama, but he always dragged them in.

  • They were just having a peaceful discussion until someone dragged her in to take sides.

Synonyms

to drag
vsto drag in
704 2.0

To pull something along the ground with effort or force someone into a place unwillingly

involves someone unwillingly but not always by direct physical force
to sweep
vsto drag in
114 4.6

To cause people to become involved suddenly by strong feeling or events

involves someone unwillingly but not necessarily in a sudden way
to tangle
vsto drag in
37 6.0

To involve someone in a difficult situation, often without meaning to

involves someone unwillingly rather than primarily by accidental complication
to embroil
vsto drag in
22 7.7

To bring someone deeply into an argument or serious problem

involves someone more generally, not limited to arguments or conflicts
to sweep up
vsto drag in
7 5.8

To get carried into a situation and take part without meaning to

involves someone unwillingly rather than describing being passively carried along

Antonyms

to exclude
338 3.0

To keep someone or something out so they are not part of something

How Involved

to entangle
24 6.3
to draw in
1 4.3
to drag in
8 6.0
to involve
∞ 1.8
to include
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

drag in infinitive
dragged in past
dragged in past participle
dragging in present participle
drags in third person singular

Morphology

drag + in

The sense 'to involve someone unwillingly' is a metaphorical extension of 'drag' (to pull/force) plus 'in' (into), so a learner who knows both words can often infer the general idea of being pulled into something. However, the pragmatic nuance of involuntary or inappropriate involvement and idiomatic usage in contexts (e.g., arguments, problems) may not be fully predictable without exposure, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Drag in comes from the image of the verb drag pulling a person in to a room or argument against their will. That picture explains why it now means 'to involve someone' in a problem or argument when it is not their concern.