outdraw
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to draw a gun, revolver, etc., from a holster, faster than (an opponent or competitor).
She could outdraw any member of the club.
-
to prove a greater attraction than; exceed in attracting an audience, patrons, attention, etc..
She outdraws all male stars at the box office.
Etymology
Origin of outdraw
Explanation
In a classic Old West showdown, one gunslinger would typically outdraw the other, and he would be the winner. In other words, he would pull his gun from its holster faster and live to tell the story. People sometimes also use the verb outdraw to mean "attract a larger crowd" — like the World Series might outdraw your favorite prime-time game show. The word draw has been used since around 1200 to mean "pull a gun out," and its Old English root dragan means "to drag or carry." And somewhere along the way, draw started to mean "attraction" — like the goody bags at the end of a birthday party are a big draw.
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.
See Examples For:
Put Joshua and Fury almost anywhere - their strongholds of Watford or Morecambe, or Wembley Stadium - and it would still outdraw most fights on the planet.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Not even a bunch of bishops covering “Mean Girls” can outdraw Blake Lively.
From Salon ● May 10, 2025
“If you’re counting humans, we can outdraw them,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
Reruns of the popular Nickelodeon show would occasionally outdraw an NHL playoff game, and non-hockey fans would be quick to make a big deal of those embarrassing instances.
From Washington Times ● May 25, 2022
Yet now you admit that any eight-year-old can outdraw you.
From Deathworld by H. R. van Dongen
Phil Lesh and Friends proved to be successful, eventually outdrawing Weir’s band Ratdog early in the 2000s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024
The Grays split their time between D.C. and Pittsburgh, often outdrawing the Washington Senators in their own ballpark, Griffith Stadium.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 6, 2022
Now in its fourth season, the show averages over seven million same-day viewers an episode, outdrawing most network dramas.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2021
MSNBC’s regular programming for those hours — “All in with Chris Hayes” and the first part of “The Rachel Maddow Show” — averaged 1.47 million viewers, just outdrawing Mr. Biden.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 22, 2021
As Billboard’s headline trumpets, “I Like It” makes her the only female rapper in Hot 100 history with two chart-toppers, outdrawing such prior No. 1 lead performers as Lauryn Hill and Iggy Azalea.
From Slate ● Jul. 5, 2018
For 2024, we present this delicious possibility: On any given night, the major league team in Oakland could be outdrawn by the minor league team in Oakland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2023
The Chicago Cubs and even the Washington Nationals, with their khaki-and-white-shirt interns and lobbyist fans, have outdrawn the Mets of late.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2019
As an added indignity, the decisive fifth game was outdrawn by a regular-season National Football League contest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2016
Since the start of 2009, it has outdrawn its BlackRock counterpart in deposits by more than seven-to-one.
From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 11, 2012
Now could be seen the warriors who, with gleaming outdrawn swords, were clustered around the girl.
From Astounding Stories, July, 1931 by Various
In 1964, the year Shea Stadium opened, the Mets outdrew the Yankees, even while losing 109 games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Bad Bunny’s 13-minute halftime show outdrew the game itself, averaging 128.2 million viewers, Nielsen reported.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
Ms. Bream outdrew last year’s “Fox News Sunday” average ratings by 20% during her stints as host over the last few months, according to the network.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 11, 2022
The game was the most-watched program on television Tuesday night and outdrew the three other major all-star games that were played in February.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2022
Since the fourth Creation morning When their God from dust outdrew them, Not one plume has from them perished, And not one bird been added to them.
From A Celtic Psaltery by Alfred Perceval Graves
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.
