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

Nearly a mile high, the hotel has nine rooms with a minimalistic approach to Alpine architecture, zero-waste cuisine rooted in foraged and regionally grown ingredients, and a holistic spa that draws on the knowledge of local herbalists and naturalists. —Ann Abel, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

The author was especially adept at conjuring the bone-deep satisfaction of another ephemeral experience: preparing and consuming food that drew on Black American culinary traditions. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024

Many images feature Soleimani’s mother’s eerie drawings from her past (a face drawn on a quince, a glyphic fetus on a board). —Max Norman, ARTnews.com, 9 Dec. 2024

As is often the case, A.I. isn’t so much changing the game as exaggerating a dynamic already at work: good translation draws on as much of life and experience and personality as good writing does. —Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

draw on

verb

: to come closer : approach

as night drew on