From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdrag somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb1 SAD/UNHAPPYto make someone feel unhappy and weak Joe’s been ill for weeks now – it’s really dragging him down.2 to make the price, level, or quality of something go down Declining prices for aluminium have dragged down the company’s earnings.3 if someone or something bad drags you down, they make you become worse or get into a worse situation Don’t let them drag you down to their level. → drag→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
drag down• A pool of light, expanding circles, merging, dragging me down.• He had set his family free from debts that dragged them down.• His fingers were beginning to uncurl, his own weight dragging him down.• Paradoxically, Anthea now threatened to become a millstone to drag him down.• The upside is freedom of action, nobody tailing your kite and dragging you down.• These guidelines keep hawa in check, for when the community is threatened, it can drag the ship down into chaos.• He also threatened to drag him down the street handcuffed to the bumper of his car.• As public confidence in his capacity to reign has plummeted, Charles' decline has dragged the monarchy down with him. 