ENGLISH
REFERENCE

draw up

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to prepare and write a formal document, like a plan, a list, or a contract.

phr. v.. to compose or draft a formal document in writing; often used in legal, business, or administrative contexts to describe the creation of structured text.


SIMPLE

The lawyer will draw up the contract tomorrow.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee spent three hours trying to draw up a list of potential candidates for the position.

COMPLEX

After several rounds of negotiations, the diplomats finally managed to draw up a peace treaty that satisfied both nations.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
draw + up + object
Usage

usually takes a formal document (contract, plan, list, proposal) as its object.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'write' to show the formal and structured nature of the document being created; it implies a level of official preparation.

Pitfall

We drew the plan up.We drew up the plan.while technically separable, 'draw up' is almost always used in the inseparable form when the object is a long or formal noun phrase.

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