ENGLISH
REFERENCE

draw out

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to make something last longer than it needs to, or to help someone feel more confident so they talk more.

phr. v.. to prolong a process or event beyond its necessary duration; alternatively, to encourage a person to be more outgoing or communicative.


SIMPLE

He likes to draw out the meeting by asking many questions.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher used gentle questions to draw out the shy student during the group discussion.

COMPLEX

The legal team attempted to draw out the proceedings in hopes that the plaintiff would eventually agree to a smaller settlement.

Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
draw + (object) + out
Usage

When used with people, it implies a supportive or strategic effort to encourage speech.

Teaching tip

Distinguish between the physical sense of 'extracting' and the figurative sense of 'extending time' or 'encouraging social interaction'.

Pitfall

She drew out of him the secret.She drew the secret out of him.When 'draw out' means to extract information, the object usually sits between the verb and the particle or follows the full phrase without 'of' immediately after 'out'.

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