to cause to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often fol. by along, away, in, out, or off ).

to bring, take, or pull out, as from a receptacle or source

to draw water from a well.

to bring toward oneself or itself, as by inherent force or influence; attract

The concert drew a large audience.

to sketch (someone or something) in lines or words; delineate; depict

to draw a vase with charcoal; to draw the comedy's characters with skill.

to compose or create (a picture) in lines.

to mark or lay out; trace

to draw perpendicular lines.

to frame or formulate

to draw a distinction.

to write out in legal form (sometimes fol. by up )

Draw up the contract.

to inhale or suck in

to draw liquid through a straw.

to derive or use, as from a source

to draw inspiration from Shakespeare.

to deduce; infer

to draw a conclusion.

to get, take, or receive, as from a source

to draw interest on a savings account; to draw a salary of

to withdraw funds from a drawing account, esp. against future commissions on sales.

to produce; bring in

The deposits draw interest.

to disembowel

to draw a turkey.

to drain

to draw a pond.

to pull out to full or greater length; make by attenuating; stretch

to draw filaments of molten glass.

to bend (a bow) by pulling back its string in preparation for shooting an arrow.

to choose or to have assigned to one at random, by or as by picking an unseen number, item, etc.

Let's draw straws to see who has to wash the car.

Metalworking . to form or reduce the sectional area of (a wire, tube, etc.) by pulling through a die.

to wrinkle or shrink by contraction.

Medicine/Medical . to cause to discharge

to draw an abscess by a poultice.

to obtain (rations, clothing, equipment, weapons, or ammunition) from an issuing agency, as an army quartermaster.

Nautical . (of a vessel) to need (a specific depth of water) to float

She draws six feet.

to leave (a contest) undecided; finish with neither side winning, as in a tie.

Cards .

to take or be dealt (a card or cards) from the pack.

Bridge . to remove the outstanding cards in (a given suit) by leading that suit

He had to draw spades first in order to make the contract.

Billiards . to cause (a cue ball) to recoil after impact by giving it a backward spin on the stroke.

Northeastern U.S. (chiefly New England ) . to haul; cart.

Hunting . to search (a covert) for game.

Cricket . to play (a ball) with a bat held at an angle in order to deflect the ball between the wicket and the legs.

Curling . to slide (the stone) gently.

to steep (tea) in boiling water.

to form or shape (glass) as it comes from the furnace by stretching.

to exert a pulling, moving, or attracting force

A sail draws by being properly trimmed and filled with wind.

to move or pass, esp. slowly or continuously, as under a pulling force (often fol. by on, off, out, etc.)

The day draws near.

to take out a sword, pistol, etc., for action.

to hold a drawing, lottery, or the like

to draw for prizes.

to sketch or to trace figures; create a picture or depict by sketching.

to be skilled in or practice the art of sketching

I can't paint, but I can draw.

to shrink or contract (often fol. by up ).

to make a demand (usually fol. by on or upon )

to draw on one's imagination.

Medicine/Medical .

to act as an irritant; cause blisters.

to cause blood, pus, or the like to gather at a specific point.

to produce or permit a draft, as a pipe or flue.

to leave a contest undecided; tie.

Hunting . (of a hound)

to search a covert for game.

to follow a game animal by its scent.

to attract customers, an audience, etc.

Our newspaper advertisement drew very well.

to pull back the string of a bow in preparation for shooting an arrow.

an act of drawing.

something that attracts customers, an audience, etc.

something that is moved by being drawn, as the movable part of a drawbridge.

something that is chosen or drawn at random, as a lot or chance.

drawing ( defs. 5, 6 ) .

a contest that ends in a tie; an undecided contest.

Also called draw play. Football . a play in which the quarterback fades as if to pass and then hands the ball to a back, usually the fullback, who is running toward the line of scrimmage.

Poker .

a card or cards taken or dealt from the pack.

draw poker.

Physical Geography .

a small, natural drainageway with a shallow bed; gully.

the dry bed of a stream.

Chiefly Western U.S. a coulee; ravine.

the pull necessary to draw a bow to its full extent.

an amount regularly drawn, as from a drawing account.

a fund, as an expense account or credit line, from which money may be withdrawn when needed.

Horology . the tendency of a tooth of an escape wheel to force toward the center of the wheel a pallet engaging with it. ?

draw ahead,

to gradually pass something moving in the same direction.

Nautical . (of the wind) to blow from a direction closer to that in which a vessel is moving; haul forward. Compare veer 1 ( def. 2b ) .

draw away,

to move or begin to move away

He drew his hand away from the hot stove.

to move farther ahead

The lead runner gradually drew away from his competitor.

draw down, to deplete or be depleted through use or consumption

to draw down crude-oil supplies.

draw in,

to cause to take part or enter, esp. unwittingly

I heard them debating the point, but I avoided being drawn in.

to make a rough sketch of

to draw in a person's figure against the landscape background.

draw off, to move back or away.

draw on,

to come nearer; approach

He sensed winter drawing on.

to clothe oneself in

She drew on her cape and gloves.

Nautical . (of a vessel) to gain on (another vessel).

to utilize or make use of, esp. as a source

The biography has drawn heavily on personal interviews.

draw out,

to pull out; remove.

to prolong; lengthen.

to persuade to speak

You'll find she's quite interesting if you take the trouble to draw her out.

Nautical . (of a vessel) to move away from (sometimes fol. by from )

The boat drew out from the wharf.

to take (money) from a place of deposit

She drew her money out of the bank and invested it in bonds.

draw up,

to devise or formulate; draft, esp. in legal form or as a formal proposal

to draw up a will.

to put into position; arrange in order or formation

The officer drew up his men.

to bring or come to a stop; halt

Their car drew up at the curb.

beat to the draw

to react quicker than an opponent.

draw oneself up

to assume an erect posture.

luck of the draw. luck ( def. 10 ) .

verb

clip , shorten

verb

attract , continue , drag , drag out , elongate , extend , lead on , lengthen , make longer , prolongate , protract , pull , spin , spin out * , stretch , string out , tug , draw