Phrasal verb
draw up
Definition
phrasal verb. to prepare and write a formal document, like a plan, a list, or a contract.
phrasal verb. to compose or draft a formal document in writing; often used in legal, business, or administrative contexts to describe the creation of structured text.
Examples
“The lawyer will draw up the contract tomorrow.”
“The committee spent three hours trying to draw up a list of potential candidates for the position.”
“After several rounds of negotiations, the diplomats finally managed to draw up a peace treaty that satisfied both nations.”
Examples
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.”
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.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
draw + up + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/draw-up