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

Rather, drawing on the proving grounds of centuries of samurai culture and Japanese martial arts, it’s cultivated both physically and energetically in the hara—our umbilical to life itself. —Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

Kateryna, meanwhile, would spend hours reading books and drawing on her iPad, mostly pictures with cats in them. —Michael Holtz, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025

In addition to all that timber and aluminum, the roof has integrated solar panels, which will help reduce its power draw on the grid, in addition to a rainwater collection system for irrigation. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 27 Feb. 2025

The Pew study is one of the most significant such private efforts, drawing on a very large, representative sample to generate estimates of the public’s religious affiliations and religiosity. —Jennifer Agiesta, CNN, 26 Feb. 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