draw out
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to make something last longer than it needs to, or to help someone feel more confident so they talk more.
phrasal verb. to prolong a process or event beyond its necessary duration; alternatively, to encourage a person to be more outgoing or communicative.
He likes to draw out the meeting by asking many questions.
The teacher used gentle questions to draw out the shy student during the group discussion.
The legal team attempted to draw out the proceedings in hopes that the plaintiff would eventually agree to a smaller settlement.
When used with people, it implies a supportive or strategic effort to encourage speech.
Distinguish between the physical sense of 'extracting' and the figurative sense of 'extending time' or 'encouraging social interaction'.
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'.
Last updated April 24, 2026