draw out

British  

verb

1. to extend or cause to be extended

   he drew out his stay

2. (tr) to cause (a person) to talk freely

   she's been quiet all evening – see if you can draw her out

3. Also: draw from.  to elicit (information) (from)

   he managed to draw out of his son where he had been

4. (tr) to withdraw (money) as from a bank account or a business

5. (intr) (of hours of daylight) to become longer

6. (intr) (of a train) to leave a station

7. (tr) to extend (troops) in line; lead from camp

8. (intr) (of troops) to proceed from camp

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draw out Idioms  

1. Pull out, extract, remove, as in She drew out her pen , or Let's draw some money out of the bank . [c. 1300]

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]

3. Induce to speak freely, as in The teacher was good at drawing out the children . [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

“Hamnet” is not a movie that seeks to bore into the viewers’ hearts, drawing out empathy from the depths of their souls; it’s a film that wants the audience to do all of the work.

From Salon

She’s hoping to use her platform to highlight that it is people like her — young and from rural parts of the state — that Democrats need to draw out to help North Carolina flip blue.

From Washington Post

He opened his address by shouting, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” — drawing out the final word in the style of the famed boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer.

From New York Times

We then used an algorithm to draw out 10 different themes of antisemitism seen in the tweets.

From Salon

Former attorneys described a culture within Special Fed that prizes winning, even if it means drawing out cases with merit and negotiating them down to the smallest possible payout.

From Salon

Related Words

• drag out
• elongate
• protract