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

Thus empowered, McKinley drew up a bill that raised or maintained import duties on a broad range of manufactured goods, including woollens, cottons, earthenware, iron, steel, and metal products. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025

In the team’s final timeout, coach Hubert Davis drew up a play to get RJ Davis, the team’s leading scorer and the reigning ACC Player of the Year, open for a potential score-tying 3-point attempt. —Brendan Marks, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, after the end of World War I, participants drew up plans for the League of Nations, an international body tasked with securing world peace. —G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2025

The final free throws came after Newby had to stand at the free-throw line, waiting for both coaches to finish drawing up a play for the final seconds. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for draw up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

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