- the act of drawing or hauling something
"the haul up the hill went very slowly"

- poker in which a player can discard cards and receive substitutes from the dealer
"he played only draw and stud"

- (American football) the quarterback moves back as if to pass and then hands the ball to the fullback who is running toward the line of scrimmage

- a golf shot that curves to the left for a right-handed golfer
"he tooks lessons to cure his hooking"

- a playing card or cards dealt or taken from the pack
"he got a pair of kings in the draw"

- anything (straws or pebbles etc.) taken or chosen at random
"the luck of the draw"
"they drew lots for it"

- the finish of a contest in which the score is tied and the winner is undecided
"the game ended in a draw"
"their record was 3 wins, 6 losses and a tie"

- a gully that is shallower than a ravine

- an entertainer who attracts large audiences
"he was the biggest drawing card they had"

- cause to localize at one point
"Draw blood and pus"

- flatten, stretch, or mold metal or glass, by rolling or by pulling it through a die or by stretching
"draw steel"

- remove the entrails of
"draw a chicken"

- steep

- pass through a strainer
"draw pulp from the fruit"

- reduce the diameter of (a wire or metal rod) by pulling it through a die
"draw wire"

- contract
"The material drew after it was washed in hot water"

- bring or lead someone to a certain action or condition
"She was drawn to despair"
"The President refused to be drawn into delivering an ultimatum"
"The session was drawn to a close"

- select or take in from a given group or region
"The participants in the experiment were drawn from a representative population"

- make, formulate, or derive in the mind
"I draw a line here"
"draw a conclusion"
"draw parallels"
"make an estimate"
"What do you make of his remarks?"

- give a description of
"He drew an elaborate plan of attack"

- choose at random
"draw a card"
"cast lots"

- finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc.
"The teams drew a tie"

- suck in or take (air)
"draw a deep breath"
"draw on a cigarette"

- guide or pass over something
"He ran his eyes over her body"
"She ran her fingers along the carved figurine"
"He drew her hair through his fingers"

- move or pull so as to cover or uncover something
"draw the shades"
"draw the curtains"

- pull back the sling of (a bow)
"The archers were drawing their bows"

- thread on or as if on a string
"string pearls on a string"
"the child drew glass beads on a string"
"thread dried cranberries"

- cause to move along the ground by pulling
"draw a wagon"
"pull a sled"

- direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
"Her good looks attract the stares of many men"
"The ad pulled in many potential customers"
"This pianist pulls huge crowds"
"The store owner was happy that th

- take in, also metaphorically
"The sponge absorbs water well"
"She drew strength from the minister''s words"

- make a mark or lines on a surface
"draw a line"
"trace the outline of a figure in the sand"

- in baseball: earn or achieve a base by being walked by the pitcher
"He drew a base on balls"

- engage in drawing
"He spent the day drawing in the garden"

- represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface
"She drew an elephant"
"Draw me a horse"

- write a legal document or paper
"The deed was drawn in the lawyer''s office"

- elicit responses, such as objections, criticism, applause, etc.
"The President''s comments drew sharp criticism from the Republicans"
"The comedian drew a lot of laughter"

- take liquid out of a container or well
"She drew water from the barrel"

- bring, take, or pull out of a container or from under a cover
"draw a weapon"
"pull out a gun"
"The mugger pulled a knife on his victim"

- move or go steadily or gradually
"The ship drew near the shore"

- cause to flow
"The nurse drew blood"

- get or derive
"He drew great benefits from his membership in the association"

- remove (a commodity) from (a supply source)
"She drew $2,000 from the account"
"The doctors drew medical supplies from the hospital''s emergency bank"

- pull (a person) apart with four horses tied to his extremities, so as to execute him
"in the old days, people were drawn and quartered for certain crimes"

- require a specified depth for floating
"This boat draws 70 inches"

- allow a draft
"This chimney draws very well"

1. To cause to move continuously by force applied in advance of the thing moved; to pull along; to haul; to drag; to cause to follow.

"He cast him down to ground, and all along Drew him through dirt and mire without remorse." -- Spenser.

"He hastened to draw the stranger into a private room." -- Sir W. Scott.

"Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?" -- James ii. 6.

"The arrow is now drawn to the head." -- Atterbury.

2. To influence to move or tend toward one's self; to exercise an attracting force upon; to call towards itself; to attract; hence, to entice; to allure; to induce.

"The poet Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods." -- Shak.

"All eyes you draw, and with the eyes the heart." -- Dryden.

3. To cause to come out for one's use or benefit; to extract; to educe; to bring forth; as: (a) To bring or take out, or to let out, from some receptacle, as a stick or post from a hole, water from a cask or well, etc.

"The drew out the staves of the ark." -- 2 Chron. v. 9.

"Draw thee waters for the siege." -- Nahum iii. 14.

"I opened the tumor by the point of a lancet without drawing one drop of blood." -- Wiseman.

(b) To pull from a sheath, as a sword.

"I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." -- Ex. xv. 9.

(c) To extract; to force out; to elicit; to derive.

"Spirits, by distillations, may be drawn out of vegetable juices, which shall flame and fume of themselves." -- Cheyne.

"Until you had drawn oaths from him." -- Shak.

(d) To obtain from some cause or origin; to infer from evidence or reasons; to deduce from premises; to derive.

"We do not draw the moral lessons we might from history." -- Burke.

(e) To take or procure from a place of deposit; to call for and receive from a fund, or the like; as, to draw money from a bank. (f) To take from a box or wheel, as a lottery ticket; to receive from a lottery by the drawing out of the numbers for prizes or blanks; hence, to obtain by good fortune; to win; to gain; as, he drew a prize. (g) To select by the drawing of lots.

"Provided magistracies were filled by men freely chosen or drawn." -- Freeman.

4. To remove the contents of; as: (a) To drain by emptying; to suck dry.

"Sucking and drawing the breast dischargeth the milk as fast as it can generated." -- Wiseman.

(b) To extract the bowels of; to eviscerate; as, to draw a fowl; to hang, draw, and quarter a criminal.

"In private draw your poultry, clean your tripe." -- King.

5. To take into the lungs; to inhale; to inspire; hence, also, to utter or produce by an inhalation; to heave. "Where I first drew air." Milton.

"Drew, or seemed to draw, a dying groan." -- Dryden.

6. To extend in length; to lengthen; to protract; to stretch; to extend, as a mass of metal into wire.

"How long her face is drawn!" -- Shak.

"And the huge Offa's dike which he drew from the mouth of Wye to that of Dee." -- J. R. Green.

7. To run, extend, or produce, as a line on any surface; hence, also, to form by marking; to make by an instrument of delineation; to produce, as a sketch, figure, or picture.

8. To represent by lines drawn; to form a sketch or a picture of; to represent by a picture; to delineate; hence, to represent by words; to depict; to describe.

"A flattering painter who made it his care To draw men as they ought to be, not as they are." -- Goldsmith.

"Can I, untouched, the fair one's passions move, Or thou draw beauty and not feel its power?" -- Prior.

9. To write in due form; to prepare a draught of; as, to draw a memorial, a deed, or bill of exchange.

"Clerk, draw a deed of gift." -- Shak.

10. To require (so great a depth, as of water) for floating; -- said of a vessel; to sink so deep in (water); as, a ship draws ten feet of water.

11. To withdraw. [Obs.] Chaucer.

"Go wash thy face, and draw the action." -- Shak.

12. To trace by scent; to track; -- a hunting term.

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Draw, in most of its uses, retains some shade of its original sense, to pull, to move forward by the application of force in advance, or to extend in length, and usually expresses an action as gradual or continuous, and leisurely. We pour liquid quickly, but we draw it in a continued stream. We force compliance by threats, but we draw it by gradual prevalence. We may write a letter with haste, but we draw a bill with slow caution and regard to a precise form. We draw a bar of metal by continued beating.

To draw a bow
to bend the bow by drawing the string for discharging the arrow.

To draw a cover
to clear a cover of the game it contains.

To draw a curtain
to cause a curtain to slide or move, either closing or unclosing. "Night draws the curtain, which the sun withdraws." Herbert.

To draw a line
to fix a limit or boundary.

To draw back
to receive back, as duties on goods for exportation.

To draw breath
to breathe. Shak.

To draw cuts
or lots
See under Cut, n.

To draw in
(a) To bring or pull in; to collect. (b) To entice; to inveigle.

To draw interest
to produce or gain interest.

To draw off
to withdraw; to abstract. Addison.

To draw on
to bring on; to occasion; to cause. "War which either his negligence drew on, or his practices procured." Hayward.

To draw (one) out
to elicit cunningly the thoughts and feelings of another.

To draw out
to stretch or extend; to protract; to spread out.

"Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?" Ps. lxxxv. 5. "Linked sweetness long drawn out." Milton.

To draw over
to cause to come over, to induce to leave one part or side for the opposite one.

To draw the longbow
to exaggerate; to tell preposterous tales.

To draw (one)
to or on to
(something), to move, to incite, to induce. "How many actions most ridiculous hast thou been drawn to by thy fantasy?" Shak.

To draw up
(a) To compose in due form; to draught; to form in writing. (b) To arrange in order, as a body of troops; to array. "Drawn up in battle to receive the charge." Dryden.

Syn. -- To Draw, Drag. Draw differs from drag in this, that drag implies a natural inaptitude for drawing, or positive resistance; it is applied to things pulled or hauled along the ground, or moved with toil or difficulty. Draw is applied to all bodies moved by force in advance, whatever may be the degree of force; it commonly implies that some kind of aptitude or provision exists for drawing. Draw is the more general or generic term, and drag the more specific. We say, the horses draw a coach or wagon, but they drag it through mire; yet draw is properly used in both cases.

1. To pull; to exert strength in drawing anything; to have force to move anything by pulling; as, a horse draws well; the sails of a ship draw well.

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A sail is said to draw when it is filled with wind.

2. To draw a liquid from some receptacle, as water from a well.

"The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep." -- John iv. 11.

3. To exert an attractive force; to act as an inducement or enticement.

"Keep a watch upon the particular bias of their minds, that it may not draw too much." -- Addison.

4. (Med.) To have efficiency as an epispastic; to act as a sinapism; -- said of a blister, poultice, etc.

5. To have draught, as a chimney, flue, or the like; to furnish transmission to smoke, gases, etc.

6. To unsheathe a weapon, especially a sword.

"So soon as ever thou seest him, draw; and as thou drawest, swear horrible." -- Shak.

7. To perform the act, or practice the art, of delineation; to sketch; to form figures or pictures. "Skill in drawing." Locke.

8. To become contracted; to shrink. "To draw into less room." Bacon.

9. To move; to come or go; literally, to draw one's self; -- with prepositions and adverbs; as, to draw away, to move off, esp. in racing, to get in front; to obtain the lead or increase it; to draw back, to retreat; to draw level, to move up even (with another); to come up to or overtake another; to draw off, to retire or retreat; to draw on, to advance; to draw up, to form in array; to draw near, nigh, or towards, to approach; to draw together, to come together, to collect.

10. To make a draft or written demand for payment of money deposited or due; -- usually with on or upon.

"You may draw on me for the expenses of your journey." -- Jay.

11. To admit the action of pulling or dragging; to undergo draught; as, a carriage draws easily.

12. To sink in water; to require a depth for floating. "Greater hulks draw deep." Shak.

To draw to a head
(a) (Med.) To begin to suppurate; to ripen, as a boil. (b) Fig.: To ripen, to approach the time for action; as, the plot draws to a head.

1. The act of drawing; draught.

2. A lot or chance to be drawn.

3. A drawn game or battle, etc. [Colloq.]

4. That part of a bridge which may be raised, swung round, or drawn aside; the movable part of a drawbridge. See the Note under Drawbridge. [U.S.]

1. To play (a short-length ball directed at the leg stump) with an inclined bat so as to deflect the ball between the legs and the wicket. (b) (Golf) To hit (the ball) with the toe of the club so that it is deflected toward the left. (c) (Billiards) To strike (the cue ball) below the center so as to give it a backward rotation which causes it to take a backward direction on striking another ball. (d) (Curling) To throw up (the stone) gently.

2. To leave (a contest) undecided; as, the battle or game was drawn.

1. The result of drawing, or state of being drawn; specif.: (a) A drawn battle, game, or the like. (b) The spin or twist imparted to a ball, or the like, by a drawing stroke.

2. That which is drawn or is subject to drawing.