Showing results for "drawn"

• past participle of draw.

drawn

American  

[drawn] / drɔn /

verb

1. past participle of draw.

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adjective

1. tense; haggard.

2. eviscerated, as a fowl.

3. Glassmaking.

   1. of or relating to the stem of a drinking glass that has been formed by stretching from a small mass of molten metal left at the base of the bowl of the vessel.

   2. of or relating to glass that is drawn over a series of rollers as it comes from the furnace.

drawn British  

/ drɔːn /

adjective

1. haggard, tired, or tense in appearance

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Other Word Forms

• well-drawn
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of drawn

First recorded in 1150–1200, for the adjective

Explanation

Drawn describes the look of someone who is tired, overworked, or ill. People will worry about you if your face looks drawn every morning because you stay up so late doing homework. The adjective drawn comes from the Old English verb dragan, which means to pull or to drag. Dragan is also the root for the artistic sense of the verb "draw," but drawn doesn't describe art. It can mean pulled closed, however. The drawn drapes keep your room so dark that it's always dark as night in there, which is good for sleeping, but bad when you have to get up early for school.

Example Sentences

Drawn to the continuum of pregnancy, birth and parenting, she noticed a discrepancy in the literature.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

Drawn from major museums and private collections, they span much of the artist’s working life.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Drawn into underground communist politics as a teenager, he was 21 when arrested in 1973 for campaigning to overthrow the king.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Managerial record: Played 397 Won 160 Drawn 119 Lost 118 Win percentage 40.3%

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2024

Drawn up within the shadow of the Gate and under the looming walls outside they had waited for his signal: all the mounted men that were left in the City.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien