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definitions

drawing card

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR drawing card ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who or thing that attracts attention or patrons.

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Origin of drawing card

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for drawing card

Historical Examples of drawing card

  • The theatre was packed nightly, and she was the drawing-card.

    Gordon Keith

    Thomas Nelson Page

  • If I am his 'drawing-card,' it was only fair to consult me about publishing the fact.

    Miss Dexie

    Stanford Eveleth

  • Youll be a sort of drawing-card, as you have quite a reputation in aviation circles.

  • The drawing-card at this hour was a famous Parisian singer of an Elysée café chantant.

    Flamsted quarries

    Mary E. Waller

British Dictionary definitions for drawing card

drawing card

noun

US and Canadian theatre a performer, act, etc, certain to attract a large audience
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
Idioms and Phrases with drawing card

drawing card

A feature or event that attracts a large audience. For example, This Italian tenor is always a good drawing card. Card in this idiom refers to a large poster containing an advertisement for something, often some sort of entertainment. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.