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draw

[draw]
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verb (used with object), drew, drawn, draw·ing.
  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, or off).
  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 by up): 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), drew, drawn, draw·ing.
  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 by up).
  8. to make a demand (usually followed by on or upon): 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.
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noun
  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(defs 5, 6).
  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.
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Verb Phrases
  1. 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.Compare veer1(def 2b).
  2. 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.
  3. draw down, to deplete or be depleted through use or consumption: to draw down crude-oil supplies.
  4. 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.
  5. draw off, to move back or away.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 by from): 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.
  8. 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.
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Idioms
  1. beat to the draw, to react quicker than an opponent.
  2. draw oneself up, to assume an erect posture.
  3. luck of the draw. luck(def 10).
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Origin of draw

before 900; Middle English drawen, Old English dragan; cognate with Old Norse draga to draw, German tragen to carry; cf. drag
Related formsdraw·a·ble, adjectivemis·draw, verb, mis·drew, mis·drawn, mis·draw·ing.pre·draw, verb, pre·drew, pre·drawn, pre·draw·ing; nounre·draw, verb re·drew, re·drawn, re·draw·ing, nounun·draw·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
1. tug, tow.

Synonym study

1. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

effectemployexploitextractrequire
British Dictionary definitions for draw on

draw on

verb
  1. (intr, preposition) to use or exploit (a source, fund, etc)to draw on one's experience
  2. (intr, adverb) to come nearthe time for his interview drew on
  3. (tr, preposition) to withdraw (money) from (an account)
  4. (tr, adverb) to put on (clothes)
  5. (tr, adverb) to lead further; entice or encouragethe prospect of nearing his goal drew him on
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draw

verb draws, drawing, drew or drawn
  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 outto draw teeth; to draw a card from a pack
  4. (tr often foll by off) 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 directionto draw alongside
  6. (tr) to attract or elicitto draw a crowd; draw attention
  7. (tr) to cause to flowto 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 deriveto draw conclusions, comparisons, parallels
  10. (tr) to write (a legal document) in proper form
  11. (tr sometimes foll by in) 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, etcthe flue draws well
  13. (tr) to take or receive from a sourceto draw money from the bank
  14. (tr) to earndraw interest
  15. (tr) finance to write out (a bill of exchange or promissory note)to draw a cheque
  16. (tr) to choose at randomto 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 disemboweldraw 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. draw trumps 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. draw a blank to get no results from something
  32. draw and quarter to disembowel and dismember (a person) after hanging
  33. draw stumps cricket to close play, as by pulling out the stumps
  34. draw the line See line 1 (def. 51)
  35. draw the short straw See short straw
  36. draw the shot 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. US 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. US and Canadian a small natural drainage way or gully
  8. a defect found in metal castings due to the contraction of the metal on solidification
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See also drawback, draw in, draw off, draw on, draw out, draw up
Derived Formsdrawable, adjective

Word Origin

Old English dragan; related to Old Norse draga; Old Frisian draga, Old Saxon dragan, Old High German tragan to carry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for draw on

draw

v.

c.1200, spelling alteration of Old English dragan "to drag, to draw, protract" (class VI strong verb; past tense drog, past participle dragen), from Proto-Germanic *draganan "carry" (cf. Old Norse draga "to draw," Old Saxon dragan, Old Frisian draga, Middle Dutch draghen, Old High German tragen, German tragen "to carry, bear"), from PIE root *dhragh- (see drag (v.)).

Sense of "make a line or figure" (by "drawing" a pencil across paper) is c.1200. Meaning "pull out a weapon" is c.1200. To draw a criminal (drag him from a horse to place of execution) is from early 14c. To draw a blank "come up with nothing" (1825) is an image from lotteries. As a noun, from 1660s; colloquial sense of "anything that can draw a crowd" is from 1881 (the verb in this sense is 1580s).

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draw

n.

game or contest that ends without a winner, attested first in drawn match (1610s), of uncertain origin; some speculate it is from withdraw. Draw-game is from 1825. As a verb, "to leave undecided," from 1837.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with draw on

draw on

1

Approach, as in As evening draws on, we'll make our way back to the house. [First half of 1500s]

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2

Put on a piece of clothing, as in She drew on her gloves. [Early 1700s]

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3

Also, draw upon. Make use of something or someone. For example, This dictionary draws on many different sources, or The chairman was good at drawing upon the various members for their expertise. [Mid-1600s]

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draw

In addition to the idioms beginning with draw

  • draw a bead on
  • draw a blank
  • draw a line between
  • draw and quarter
  • draw an inference
  • draw a veil over
  • draw away
  • draw back
  • draw blood
  • draw down
  • draw fire
  • draw in
  • drawing board
  • drawing card
  • draw in one's horns
  • draw in the reins
  • draw on
  • draw out
  • draw straws
  • draw the curtain
  • draw the line at
  • draw up

also see:

  • back to the drawing board
  • beat to it (the draw)
  • daggers drawn
  • luck of the draw
  • quick on the draw
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.