draw
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to make a picture using a pen, pencil, or crayon.
v.to produce a representation or diagram by making lines on a surface.
Simple“She sat in the park and drew a picture of the old bridge.”
In context“The architect drew a series of detailed sketches to illustrate how the light would interact with the building's facade.”
PitfallHe drew a picture about his dog. He drew a picture of his dog.Use the preposition 'of' to indicate the subject of a drawing.
- 02 A2 Elementary
v.to pull something towards you or in a certain direction.
v.to exert force on an object so as to move it towards oneself or along a path.
Simple“He drew the curtains to block out the bright morning sun.”
In context“The knight drew his sword from its scabbard as the enemy approached the castle gates.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
v.to attract interest, attention, or a crowd of people.
v.to elicit a specific response or to attract interest and participation.
Simple“The free concert drew a huge crowd to the city centre.”
In context“The controversial policy drew sharp criticism from both the public and the media.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
v.to take something out, like money from a bank or a name from a hat.
v.to extract, withdraw, or select something from a source or container.
Simple“They will draw the winning ticket for the prize tomorrow.”
In context“She needed to draw some cash from her savings account to pay for the repairs.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to arrive at an idea or conclusion after thinking about the facts.
v.to deduce or infer a conclusion from available evidence or information.
Simple“What conclusion did you draw after reading the report?”
In context“It is difficult to draw any firm conclusions from such a limited set of data.”
UsageCommonly collocates with 'conclusion', 'parallel', or 'comparison'.
- 06 A2 Elementary
n.a game or race that ends with both sides having the same score.
n.a competitive result in which participants finish with an identical score or standing.
Simple“The football match ended in a two-two draw.”
In context“After ninety minutes of intense play, the game resulted in a scoreless draw, leaving both teams frustrated.”
Teacher's tipIn American English, 'tie' is more common than 'draw' for most sports, though 'draw' is used in soccer.
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.something or someone that many people want to see.
n.a person, place, or event that acts as a powerful attraction for the public.
Simple“The new museum is a big draw for tourists visiting the city.”
In context“The lead actor's performance was the main draw of the production, consistently selling out the theatre.”
Synonyms - 08 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of choosing a winner or a name by chance.
n.a random selection process, such as for a lottery or a tournament schedule.
Simple“The draw for the World Cup groups takes place this evening.”
In context“The luck of the draw determined that the two strongest teams would face each other in the first round.”
- 09 C1 Advanced
n.a slang word for the drug cannabis.
n.a slang term referring to cannabis or a portion of the drug.
Simple“He was caught carrying a small bag of draw.”
In context“The local police were focusing on the street-level distribution of draw and other substances.”
UsageUncountable when referring to the drug in general; countable when referring to a specific bag.
Teacher's tipThis is highly informal and specific to certain dialects; learners should be aware of it but avoid using it in formal contexts.
Usage draw attention · draw a line · draw conclusions
The verb is derived from Middle English drauen, drawen, draȝen, dragen (“to drag, pull; to draw (out); to attract; to entice, lure; to lead; to make a drawing; to move, travel; etc.”), from Old English dragan (“to drag, draw”), from Proto-West Germanic dragan (“to carry; to haul”), from Proto-Germanic draganą (“to carry; to pull, draw”); further etymology uncertain, often said to be from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to pull, draw”), but possibly from a non-Indo-European substrate root which is also the source of Latin trahō (“to pull, draw; etc.”). Doublet of drag and draught. The noun is derived from Middle English drau, draue (“action of shooting with a bow”), from drauen, drawen (verb). cognates * Albanian dredh (“to turn, spin”) * Danish drage * Dutch dragen * German tragen (“to carry”) * Old Armenian դառնամ (daṙnam, “to turn”) * Sanskrit ध्रजस् (dhrájas, “gliding course or motion”) * West Frisian drage
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.