drawl
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have drawledperfect
-
has drawledperfect 3rd person singular
-
have been drawlingperfect progressive
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has been drawlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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drawlingparticiple
-
are drawlingprogressive
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drawlssingular 3rd person
-
is drawlingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am drawlingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
-
had drawledperfect
-
was drawlingprogressive singular
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drawledsimple
-
were drawlingprogressive plural
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drawledparticiple
-
had been drawlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of drawl
1590–1600; < Dutch or Low German dralen to linger
Explanation
A drawl is a distinctively slow, drawn-out way of talking that's especially common in the U.S. South. A writer might describe a cowboy as speaking in a lazy drawl. A drawl tends to lengthen and extend vowel sounds in particular, so that words like "pet" or "pen" might be pronounced with two syllables, rather than one short one. While the Southern states are best known for inhabitants with drawls, Australian and New Zealand natives are also sometimes said to drawl. The word probably stems from the Dutch dralen, "delay" or "linger."
Vocabulary lists containing drawl
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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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.
“Noooo,” Sen. Thom Tillis said in his North Carolina drawl when I asked if Trump had given him a pair.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
As the car pulls into a parking garage, Blunt cracks jokes and does impressions, including one of her security guy Pat’s Southern drawl.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Luiz, a French cab driver ferrying festivalgoers around Cannes, does good impersonations of both a Long Island accent and a Southern drawl, said he loves talking with Americans.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
Byrne has said she has a go-to phrase -- "Patty hired 24-hour security for Katie" -- when she finds herself struggling to summon the Yankee drawl.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
“Would you mind moving out of the way?” came Malfoy s cold drawl from behind them.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
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.
