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traîner

to drag, to loiter

verb treh-NEH Less Common
Body & Health Movement

Also means

to hang around

Usage Note

Traîner covers both physical dragging (traîner une valise — to drag a suitcase) and the sense of lingering or idling (il traîne dans les rues — he hangs around the streets). Reflexively, se traîner means to drag oneself along, suggesting reluctance or exhaustion. The related noun traîne gives the phrase être à la traîne — to lag behind.

Examples

"Il traîne les pieds quand il marche."

Natural Translation

He drags his feet when he walks.

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