Synonyms Word Origin
See more synonyms for draw on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object), drew, drawn, draw·ing. 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 ). to bring, take, or pull out, as from a receptacle or source: to draw water from a well. to bring toward oneself or itself, as by inherent force or influence; attract: The concert drew a large audience. 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. to compose or create (a picture) in lines. to mark or lay out; trace: to draw perpendicular lines. to frame or formulate: to draw a distinction. to write out in legal form (sometimes followed by up ): Draw up the contract. to inhale or suck in: to draw liquid through a straw. to derive or use, as from a source: to draw inspiration from Shakespeare. to deduce; infer: to draw a conclusion. to get, take, or receive, as from a source: to draw interest on a savings account; to draw a salary of $600 a week. to withdraw funds from a drawing account, especially against future commissions on sales. to produce; bring in: The deposits draw interest. to disembowel: to draw a turkey. to drain: to draw a pond. to pull out to full or greater length; make by attenuating; stretch: to draw filaments of molten glass. to bend (a bow) by pulling back its string in preparation for shooting an arrow. 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. Metalworking to form or reduce the sectional area of (a wire, tube, etc.) by pulling through a die. to wrinkle or shrink by contraction. Medicine/Medical to cause to discharge: to draw an abscess by a poultice. to obtain (rations, clothing, equipment, weapons, or ammunition) from an issuing agency, as an army quartermaster. Nautical (of a vessel) to need (a specific depth of water) to float: She draws six feet. to leave (a contest) undecided; finish with neither side winning, as in a tie. Cards to take or be dealt (a card or cards) from the pack. 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. Billiards to cause (a cue ball) to recoil after impact by giving it a backward spin on the stroke. Northeastern U.S. (chiefly New England ) to haul; cart. Hunting to search (a covert) for game. Cricket to play (a ball) with a bat held at an angle in order to deflect the ball between the wicket and the legs. Curling to slide (the stone) gently. to steep (tea) in boiling water. to form or shape (glass) as it comes from the furnace by stretching. Show More
verb (used without object), drew, drawn, draw·ing. to exert a pulling, moving, or attracting force: A sail draws by being properly trimmed and filled with wind. to move or pass, especially slowly or continuously, as under a pulling force (often followed by on, off, out, etc.): The day draws near. to take out a sword, pistol, etc., for action. to hold a drawing, lottery, or the like: to draw for prizes. to sketch or to trace figures; create a picture or depict by sketching. to be skilled in or practice the art of sketching: I can't paint, but I can draw. to shrink or contract (often followed by up ). to make a demand (usually followed by on or upon ): to draw on one's imagination. Medicine/Medical to act as an irritant; cause blisters. to cause blood, pus, or the like to gather at a specific point. to produce or permit a draft, as a pipe or flue. to leave a contest undecided; tie. Hunting to search a covert for game. to follow a game animal by its scent. to attract customers, an audience, etc.: Our newspaper advertisement drew very well. to pull back the string of a bow in preparation for shooting an arrow. Show More
an act of drawing. something that attracts customers, an audience, etc. something that is moved by being drawn, as the movable part of a drawbridge. something that is chosen or drawn at random, as a lot or chance. drawing(defs 5, 6) .a contest that ends in a tie; an undecided contest. 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. Poker a card or cards taken or dealt from the pack. draw poker . Physical Geography a small, natural drainageway with a shallow bed; gully. the dry bed of a stream. Chiefly Western U.S. a coulee; ravine. the pull necessary to draw a bow to its full extent. an amount regularly drawn, as from a drawing account. a fund, as an expense account or credit line, from which money may be withdrawn when needed. Horology the tendency of a tooth of an escape wheel to force toward the center of the wheel a pallet engaging with it. Show More
draw ahead , to gradually pass something moving in the same direction. Nautical (of the wind) to blow from a direction closer to that in which a vessel is moving; haul forward. Compare veer1 (def 2b) . draw away , to move or begin to move away: He drew his hand away from the hot stove. to move farther ahead: The lead runner gradually drew away from his competitor. draw down , to deplete or be depleted through use or consumption: to draw down crude-oil supplies. draw in , to cause to take part or enter, especially unwittingly: I heard them debating the point, but I avoided being drawn in. to make a rough sketch of: to draw in a person's figure against the landscape background. draw off , to move back or away. draw on , to come nearer; approach: He sensed winter drawing on. to clothe oneself in: She drew on her cape and gloves. Nautical (of a vessel) to gain on (another vessel). to utilize or make use of, especially as a source: The biography has drawn heavily on personal interviews. draw out , to pull out; remove. to prolong; lengthen. to persuade to speak: You'll find she's quite interesting if you take the trouble to draw her out. Nautical (of a vessel) to move away from (sometimes followed by from ): The boat drew out from the wharf. to take (money) from a place of deposit: She drew her money out of the bank and invested it in bonds. draw up , to devise or formulate; draft, especially in legal form or as a formal proposal: to draw up a will. to put into position; arrange in order or formation: The officer drew up his men. to bring or come to a stop; halt: Their car drew up at the curb. Show More
beat to the draw , to react quicker than an opponent. draw oneself up , to assume an erect posture. luck of the draw . luck(def 10) .Show More
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 forms draw·a·ble , adjective mis·draw , verb, mis·drew, mis·drawn, mis·draw·ing. pre·draw , verb, pre·drew, pre·drawn, pre·draw·ing; noun re·draw , verb re·drew, re·drawn, re·draw·ing, noun un·draw·a·ble , adjective 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 for draw out elongate ,
protract ,
attract ,
continue ,
drag ,
extend ,
lengthen ,
pull ,
spin ,
stretch ,
tug ,
prolongate British Dictionary definitions for draw out to extend or cause to be extended he drew out his stay (tr) to cause (a person) to talk freely she's been quiet all evening – see if you can draw her out Also: draw from (tr foll by of ) to elicit (information) (from) he managed to draw out of his son where he had been (tr) to withdraw (money) as from a bank account or a business (intr) (of hours of daylight) to become longer (intr) (of a train) to leave a station (tr) to extend (troops) in line; lead from camp (intr) (of troops) to proceed from camp Show More
verb draws , drawing , drew or drawn to cause (a person or thing) to move towards or away by pulling to bring, take, or pull (something) out, as from a drawer, holster, etc (tr) to extract or pull or take out to draw teeth ; to draw a card from a pack (tr often foll by off ) to take (liquid) out of a cask, keg, tank, etc, by means of a tap (intr) to move, go, or proceed, esp in a specified direction to draw alongside (tr) to attract or elicit to draw a crowd ; draw attention (tr) to cause to flow to draw blood to depict or sketch (a form, figure, picture, etc) in lines, as with a pencil or pen, esp without the use of colour; delineate (tr) to make, formulate, or derive to draw conclusions, comparisons, parallels (tr) to write (a legal document) in proper form (tr sometimes foll by in ) to suck or take in (air, liquid, etc) to draw a breath (intr) to induce or allow a draught to carry off air, smoke, etc the flue draws well (tr) to take or receive from a source to draw money from the bank (tr) to earn draw interest (tr) finance to write out (a bill of exchange or promissory note) to draw a cheque (tr) to choose at random to draw lots (tr) to reduce the diameter of (a wire or metal rod) by pulling it through a die (tr) to shape (a sheet of metal or glass) by rolling, by pulling it through a die or by stretching archery to bend (a bow) by pulling the string to steep (tea) or (of tea) to steep in boiling water (tr) to disembowel draw a chicken (tr) to cause (pus, blood, etc) to discharge from an abscess or wound (intr) (of two teams, contestants, etc) to finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc; tie (tr) bridge whist to keep leading a suit in order to force out (all outstanding cards) draw trumps bridge whist to play the trump suit until the opponents have none left (tr) billiards to cause (the cue ball) to spin back after a direct impact with another ball by applying backspin when making the stroke (tr) to search (a place) in order to find wild animals, game, etc, for hunting 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 (tr) curling to deliver (the stone) gently (tr) nautical (of a vessel) to require (a certain depth) in which to float draw a blank to get no results from something draw and quarter to disembowel and dismember (a person) after hanging draw stumps cricket to close play, as by pulling out the stumps draw the line See line 1 (def. 51) draw the short straw See short straw draw the shot bowls to deliver the bowl in such a way that it approaches the jack Show More
the act of drawing US a sum of money advanced to finance anticipated expenses an event, occasion, act, etc, that attracts a large audience a raffle or lottery something taken or chosen at random, as a ticket in a raffle or lottery a contest or game ending in a tie US and Canadian a small natural drainage way or gully a defect found in metal castings due to the contraction of the metal on solidification Show More
Derived Forms drawable , adjective Word Origin for draw 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
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Word Origin and History for draw out 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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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 out 1 Pull out, extract, remove, as in She drew out her pen , or Let's draw some money out of the bank . [c. 1300]
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2 Prolong, protract, as in This meal was drawn out over four hours . The related expression long-drawn-out means “greatly extended or protracted,” as in The dinner was a long-drawn-out affair . [1500s]
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3 Induce to speak freely, as in The teacher was good at drawing out the children . [Late 1700s]
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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 Show More
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
