draw

American  

[draw] / drɔ /

verb (used with object)

• draws,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drew,
  past
• drawn,
  past participle
• drawing
  present participle

1. to cause to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often followed by along, away, in, out, oroff ).

   Synonyms:

   tow, tug

2. to bring, take, or pull out, as from a receptacle or source.

   to draw water from a well.

3. to bring toward oneself or itself, as by inherent force or influence; attract.

   The concert drew a large audience.

4. to sketch (someone or something) in lines or words; delineate; depict.

   to draw a vase with charcoal; to draw the comedy's characters with skill.

5. to compose or create (a picture) in lines.

6. to mark or lay out; trace.

   to draw perpendicular lines.

7. to frame or formulate.

   to draw a distinction.

8. to write out in legal form (sometimes followed byup ).

   Draw up the contract.

9. to inhale or suck in.

   to draw liquid through a straw.

10. to derive or use, as from a source.

    to draw inspiration from Shakespeare.

11. to deduce; infer.

    to draw a conclusion.

12. to get, take, or receive, as from a source.

    to draw interest on a savings account; to draw a salary of $600 a week.

13. to withdraw funds from a drawing account, especially against future commissions on sales.

14. to produce; bring in.

    The deposits draw interest.

15. to disembowel.

    to draw a turkey.

16. to drain.

    to draw a pond.

17. to pull out to full or greater length; make by attenuating; stretch.

    to draw filaments of molten glass.

18. to bend (a bow) by pulling back its string in preparation for shooting an arrow.

19. to choose or to have assigned to one at random, by or as by picking an unseen number, item, etc..

    Let's draw straws to see who has to wash the car.

20. Metalworking. to form or reduce the sectional area of (a wire, tube, etc.) by pulling through a die.

21. to wrinkle or shrink by contraction.

22. Medicine/Medical. to cause to discharge.

    to draw an abscess by a poultice.

23. to obtain (rations, clothing, equipment, weapons, or ammunition) from an issuing agency, as an army quartermaster.

24. Nautical. (of a vessel) to need (a specific depth of water) to float.

    She draws six feet.

25. to leave (a contest) undecided; finish with neither side winning, as in a tie.

26. Cards.

    1. to take or be dealt (a card or cards) from the pack.

    2. Bridge. to remove the outstanding cards in (a given suit) by leading that suit.

       He had to draw spades first in order to make the contract.

27. Billiards. to cause (a cue ball) to recoil after impact by giving it a backward spin on the stroke.

28. Northeastern U.S. (chiefly New England). to haul; cart.

29. Hunting. to search (a covert) for game.

30. Cricket. to play (a ball) with a bat held at an angle in order to deflect the ball between the wicket and the legs.

31. Curling. to slide (the stone) gently.

32. to steep (tea) in boiling water.

33. to form or shape (glass) as it comes from the furnace by stretching.

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verb (used without object)

• draws,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drew,
  past
• drawn,
  past participle
• drawing
  present participle

1. to exert a pulling, moving, or attracting force.

   A sail draws by being properly trimmed and filled with wind.

2. to move or pass, especially slowly or continuously, as under a pulling force (often followed by on, off, out, etc.).

   The day draws near.

3. to take out a sword, pistol, etc., for action.

4. to hold a drawing, lottery, or the like.

   to draw for prizes.

5. to sketch or to trace figures; create a picture or depict by sketching.

6. to be skilled in or practice the art of sketching.

   I can't paint, but I can draw.

7. to shrink or contract (often followed byup ).

8. to make a demand (usually followed by on orupon ).

   to draw on one's imagination.

9. Medicine/Medical.

   1. to act as an irritant; cause blisters.

   2. to cause blood, pus, or the like to gather at a specific point.

10. to produce or permit a draft, as a pipe or flue.

11. to leave a contest undecided; tie.

12. Hunting. (of a hound)

    1. to search a covert for game.

    2. to follow a game animal by its scent.

13. to attract customers, an audience, etc..

    Our newspaper advertisement drew very well.

14. to pull back the string of a bow in preparation for shooting an arrow.

noun

• draws
  plural

1. an act of drawing.

2. something that attracts customers, an audience, etc.

3. something that is moved by being drawn, as the movable part of a drawbridge.

4. something that is chosen or drawn at random, as a lot or chance.

5. drawing.

6. a contest that ends in a tie; an undecided contest.

7. Also called draw play.  Football. a play in which the quarterback fades as if to pass and then hands the ball to a back, usually the fullback, who is running toward the line of scrimmage.

8. Poker.

   1. a card or cards taken or dealt from the pack.

   2. draw poker.

9. Physical Geography.

   1. a small, natural drainageway with a shallow bed; gully.

   2. the dry bed of a stream.

   3. Chiefly Western U.S. a coulee; ravine.

10. the pull necessary to draw a bow to its full extent.

11. an amount regularly drawn, as from a drawing account.

12. a fund, as an expense account or credit line, from which money may be withdrawn when needed.

13. Horology. the tendency of a tooth of an escape wheel to force toward the center of the wheel a pallet engaging with it.

verb phrase

1. draw away

   1. to move or begin to move away.

      He drew his hand away from the hot stove.

   2. to move farther ahead.

      The lead runner gradually drew away from his competitor.

2. draw ahead

   1. to gradually pass something moving in the same direction.

   2. Nautical. (of the wind) to blow from a direction closer to that in which a vessel is moving; haul forward.

3. draw on

   1. to come nearer; approach.

      He sensed winter drawing on.

   2. to clothe oneself in.

      She drew on her cape and gloves.

   3. Nautical. (of a vessel) to gain on (another vessel).

   4. to utilize or make use of, especially as a source.

      The biography has drawn heavily on personal interviews.

4. draw off to move back or away.

5. draw down to deplete or be depleted through use or consumption.

   to draw down crude-oil supplies.

6. draw in

   1. to cause to take part or enter, especially unwittingly.

      I heard them debating the point, but I avoided being drawn in.

   2. to make a rough sketch of.

      to draw in a person's figure against the landscape background.

7. draw up

   1. to devise or formulate; draft, especially in legal form or as a formal proposal.

      to draw up a will.

   2. to put into position; arrange in order or formation.

      The officer drew up his men.

   3. to bring or come to a stop; halt.

      Their car drew up at the curb.

8. draw out

   1. to pull out; remove.

   2. to prolong; lengthen.

   3. to persuade to speak.

      You'll find she's quite interesting if you take the trouble to draw her out.

   4. Nautical. (of a vessel) to move away from (sometimes followed byfrom ).

      The boat drew out from the wharf.

   5. to take (money) from a place of deposit.

      She drew her money out of the bank and invested it in bonds.

idioms

1. luck of the draw. luck.

2. beat to the draw, to react quicker than an opponent.

3. draw oneself up, to assume an erect posture.

draw British  

/ drɔː /

verb

1. to cause (a person or thing) to move towards or away by pulling

2. to bring, take, or pull (something) out, as from a drawer, holster, etc

3. (tr) to extract or pull or take out

   to draw teeth

   to draw a card from a pack

4. to take (liquid) out of a cask, keg, tank, etc, by means of a tap

5. (intr) to move, go, or proceed, esp in a specified direction

   to draw alongside

6. (tr) to attract or elicit

   to draw a crowd

   draw attention

7. (tr) to cause to flow

   to draw blood

8. to depict or sketch (a form, figure, picture, etc) in lines, as with a pencil or pen, esp without the use of colour; delineate

9. (tr) to make, formulate, or derive

   to draw conclusions, comparisons, parallels

10. (tr) to write (a legal document) in proper form

11. to suck or take in (air, liquid, etc)

    to draw a breath

12. (intr) to induce or allow a draught to carry off air, smoke, etc

    the flue draws well

13. (tr) to take or receive from a source

    to draw money from the bank

14. (tr) to earn

    draw interest

15. (tr) finance to write out (a bill of exchange or promissory note)

    to draw a cheque

16. (tr) to choose at random

    to draw lots

17. (tr) to reduce the diameter of (a wire or metal rod) by pulling it through a die

18. (tr) to shape (a sheet of metal or glass) by rolling, by pulling it through a die or by stretching

19. archery to bend (a bow) by pulling the string

20. to steep (tea) or (of tea) to steep in boiling water

21. (tr) to disembowel

    draw a chicken

22. (tr) to cause (pus, blood, etc) to discharge from an abscess or wound

23. (intr) (of two teams, contestants, etc) to finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc; tie

24. (tr) bridge whist to keep leading a suit in order to force out (all outstanding cards)

25. bridge whist to play the trump suit until the opponents have none left

26. (tr) billiards to cause (the cue ball) to spin back after a direct impact with another ball by applying backspin when making the stroke

27. (tr) to search (a place) in order to find wild animals, game, etc, for hunting

28. golf to cause (a golf ball) to move with a controlled right-to-left trajectory or (of a golf ball) to veer gradually from right to left

29. (tr) curling to deliver (the stone) gently

30. (tr) nautical (of a vessel) to require (a certain depth) in which to float

31. to get no results from something

32. to disembowel and dismember (a person) after hanging

33. cricket to close play, as by pulling out the stumps

34. See line 1

35. See short straw

36. bowls to deliver the bowl in such a way that it approaches the jack

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noun

1. the act of drawing

2. a sum of money advanced to finance anticipated expenses

3. an event, occasion, act, etc, that attracts a large audience

4. a raffle or lottery

5. something taken or chosen at random, as a ticket in a raffle or lottery

6. a contest or game ending in a tie

7. a small natural drainage way or gully

8. a defect found in metal castings due to the contraction of the metal on solidification

draw More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing draw

• back to the drawing board
• beat to it (the draw)
• daggers drawn
• luck of the draw
• quick on the draw

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Usage

What is a basic definition of draw? The verb draw means to sketch something using lines. Draw also means to pull something out of its resting place or to attract something. Draw is also a tied competition. Draw has many other senses as a verb and a noun. In the artistic sense, drawing something usually means to create an image of it using paper and pencil, crayons, pen, or similar. If you were asked to draw a cat, for example, you would try your best to create a picture of something that resembles a cat. The work of art that a person creates from doing this is called a drawing.

• Real-life examples: Artists draw many images as part of their art or job. Children like to draw pictures in art class. Police will sometimes draw a witness’s description of a suspect's face to create wanted posters.
• Used in a sentence: The girl drew butterflies on the sidewalk using chalk. 

Draw is also used as a verb to mean to pull or extract something from where it is contained.

• Real-life examples: Police officers hope they don’t have to draw their guns from their holsters. Wells are used to draw water and oil from the ground. A nurse draws blood from a patient using a syringe.
• Used in a sentence: The knight drew his sword and prepared to fight the dragon. 

Draw is also used to mean to attract something or bring something closer.

• Real-life examples: Exciting shows draw large audiences. Bizarre spectacles often draw a crowd. Smelly, rotten food often draws flies and other pests.
• Used in a sentence: The popular singer drew many fans to the concert. 

Draw is also a competition that has no winner or ends in a tie.

• Real-life examples: Basketball games, chess matches, and rock-paper-scissors can all end in draws, in which neither team or player is declared the winner.
• Used in a sentence: The two teams were evenly matched, so the soccer game ended in a draw.

Synonym Usage

Draw, drag, haul, pull imply causing movement of an object toward one by exerting force upon it. To draw is to move by a force, in the direction from which the force is exerted: A magnet draws iron to it. To drag is to draw with the force necessary to overcome friction between the object drawn and the surface on which it rests: to drag a sled to the top of a hill. To haul is to transport a heavy object slowly by mechanical force or with sustained effort: to haul a large boat across a portage. To pull is to draw or tug, exerting varying amounts of force according to the effort needed: to pull out an eyelash; to pull fighting dogs apart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misdraw
  verb
• predraw
  verb
• redraw
  verb
• drawable
  adjective
• undrawable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• draws
  plural

Participles

• drawing
  present
• drawn
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• draw
  simple
• draws
  simple
• have drawn
  perfect
• has drawn
  perfect
• am drawing
  progressive
• are drawing
  progressive
• is drawing
  progressive
• have been drawing
  perfect progressive
• has been drawing
  perfect progressive

Past

• drew
  simple
• had drawn
  perfect
• was drawing
  progressive
• were drawing
  progressive
• had been drawing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will draw
  simple
• will have drawn
  perfect
• will be drawing
  progressive
• will have been drawing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of draw

First recorded before 900; Middle English drawen, Old English dragan; cognate with Old Norse draga, German tragen “to carry”; cf. drag

Explanation

At the cartooning contest, you could draw out your pen and draw a narwhal, and the competition could still end in a draw. The meanings of draw include "to pull gently" and "to sketch" and "an even score". The original meaning of draw comes from the Old English dragan, "drag." This meaning is still common today, like when you draw the curtains shut or when a horse draws a carriage through Central Park. The most common way to use the verb draw is to mean "produce an image using lines," which came from the idea of drawing a pen or pencil across paper. Occasionally, draw gets confused with drawer, a noun meaning "a compartment that slides out."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

draw draws drew drawn drawing

They can draw on ideas from different areas of mathematics, combining them in a novel way to prove astonishing results.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

It added the team that had planned the promotion did not draw the connection to the historical event, and the upper management had failed to spot it as well.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Colorado’s relatively low 4.4% flat income tax has been a major draw for businesses and young professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

His comedic sensibility explores cruelty, shock, transgressions and antiheroes — and it’s also what continues to draw him to literature.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

There were lots of good words for Albert, so I really hoped I would draw his name.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

The best-known of these festivals is Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, often simply known as the Fleadh, which draws thousands of people, and sometimes a famous face or two.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

It draws heavily on news reports and what has so far been released from the Epstein files, but does underscore numerous hurdles the investigation has faced.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Mr. Motoki draws a persuasive portrait of authority under pressure yet uninhibited by convention, and Mr. Suda, the star of “Cloud,” gives a performance of bitter and wily intensity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The study also draws attention to an often overlooked feature of radio astronomy.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

He draws a picture, and I try to do what Brie suggested—asking him about his color choices and what he’s making instead of giving him compliments.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had already announced a joint defence pact in 2025, a move that drew attention because Pakistan is the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed state.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

"If we drew it any wider we would have a prison capacity crisis," said Norris.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The NBA postseason drew its largest first-round audience in 33 years, though under the league’s new rights deal Disney now shares that inventory with NBC and Amazon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Brent Donnelly, founder of Spectra Markets, recalled how other stocks that drew sizable media attention around the expiration of their respective share lockups fared once the additional shares started hitting the market.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

The clop and clatter of the horse and wagon sounded from the street as James’s ba drew up in front of the store.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Bullion has drawn support from a pullback in oil prices this week, as diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz eased fears of prolonged supply disruptions and reduced inflation concerns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Separately, class action suits against Suno and Udio have drawn support from more than 1,800 independent artists who say their recordings were used without permission to train the company’s models.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

That and other incidents have drawn attention to a controversial Thai government program that allows police and soldiers to buy subsidized firearms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The plans for a new facility have been drawn up and hospital leaders are confident construction will be wrapped by the deadline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The decrepit lampposts cast a faint light onto Autumn’s face, which is drawn tight as she catches her breath.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

The Journal assembled and analyzed a data set of nearly 18,200 private-letter rated instruments, drawing on filings made by insurance companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“A number of the newer products that we just rolled out, either in beta or early-access programs, are not drawing down paid credits today,” Melwani said on the earnings call.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Constructing an accurate, full-scale replica involves far more than enlarging a drawing or arranging generic bones into a dramatic pose.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Normally, law enforcement officers order people out of the car,” Dicus said, but Jianquan Bo got out of the car, drawing the focus of the deputies who struggled to communicate through a language barrier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Pua’s the one who sat next to me on the bus, and who asked about my drawing, and who gasped at all the right moments when I told my Leo story.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Related Words

• attract
• bring
• carry
• drag
• elicit
• evoke
• gather
• pick