draw up

verb

drew up; drawn up; drawing up; draws up

transitive verb

1

: to bring (a body of troops) into array

2

: to prepare a draft or version of

draw up plans

3

: to bring to a halt

4

: to straighten (oneself) to an erect posture especially as an assertion of dignity or resentment

intransitive verb

: to come to a halt

the car drew up at the door

Synonyms

• arrest
• bring up
• catch
• check
• fetch up
• halt
• hold up
• pull up
• stall
• stay
• still
• stop

Examples of draw up in a Sentence

he drew up his horse outside the tavern

drew up the troops into a line along the ridge

Recent Examples on the Web

Third, a large catalog of potential diversification industries needs to be drawn up by legislators. —Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024

The preliminary ordinance drawn up would allow the city attorney and tenants to file civil action against landlords who are caught using the software—though how they would be caught is not laid out —with penalties of up to $1,000 per violation. —Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2024

Plans were drawn up for potential Olympic venues, including a new main stadium at 8 Mile and Woodward. —Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 23 July 2024

New technical guidance to help cities develop clean air zones is to be drawn up by the global philanthropic organisation Clean Air Fund. —Jamie Hailstone, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

draw up

verb

1

: to arrange (as troops) in order

2

: to prepare a draft or version of

draw up plans

3

: to straighten (oneself) to an erect posture

drew himself up angrily and left the room

4

: to bring or come to a stop

the car drew up at the door