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Synonyms

drawing card

American  

noun

  1. a person who or thing that attracts attention or patrons.

drawing card British  

noun

  1. 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
drawing card Idioms  

  1. 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]

Etymology

Origin of drawing card

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A group of leading stars, however, want a greater share of the event's revenue to be distributed throughout the field - arguing they remain the main drawing card.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

The pizza, seafood and otherwise, got all the headlines, but it wasn’t the biggest drawing card.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2025

Italy’s 40 percent tax rebate on production costs for international films and television series has also been a strong drawing card.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2023

His presence was a drawing card for established national tournaments wanting to bring in as many future NBA players as possible.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2022

My youth quickly made me a much bigger drawing card than my father.

From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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