draw on

verb

drew on; drawn on; drawing on; draws on

intransitive verb

: approach

night draws on

transitive verb

: bring on, cause

Synonyms

• beget
• breed
• bring
• bring about
• bring on
• catalyze
• cause
• create
• do
• effect
• effectuate
• engender
• generate
• induce
• invoke
• make
• occasion
• produce
• prompt
• result (in)
• spawn
• translate (into)
• work
• yield

Examples of draw on in a Sentence

the general's imprudent remarks drew on a public rebuke by the secretary of defense

night draws on, so we should hurry home

Recent Examples on the Web

The end of the penny has been debated in the U.S. since the early 1990s, when Republicans and Democrats alike supported legislative bids to do away with the penny, drawing on cost-benefit analysis as their rationale. —Antoinette Burton, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025

Rodriguez drew on her own experience as a 9-year-old child in a YMCA program called Indian Princesses. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2025

Lily Rose Murphy draws on British naval discipline and tradition, reimagining classic maritime uniform elements through a bold, modern lens. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Here is some of what the Courant has reported about that flood, drawing on archives: When March 1936 arrives, the snowpack in northern New England is deep, owing to a colder than normal winter. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for draw on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon

Kids Definition

draw on

verb

: to come closer : approach

as night drew on