draft

1 of 3

noun

ˈdraft  ˈdräft 

1

fishing

a

: the act of drawing or pulling in a net

b

: haul sense 2b

a draft of fish

2

a

: the act or an instance of drinking or inhaling

a last draft on her cigarette

also : the portion drunk or inhaled in one such act

b

: a portion poured out or mixed for drinking : dose

3

mechanical engineering

a

: the force required to pull a plow or other implement

b

: load or load-pulling capacity

the draft of a typical draft horse

4

a

: the act of moving loads by drawing or pulling : pull

b

: a team of animals together with what they draw

5

a

: delineation, representation

a draft for a future skyscraper

b

: scheme, design

c

: a preliminary sketch, outline, or version

the author's first draft

a draft treaty

6

: the act, result, or plan of lengthening or stretching something (such as threads or metal)

7

a

: the act of causing a liquid to come out of a container or source : the act of drawing (as from a cask or keg)

b

: a portion of liquid so drawn

a draft of ale

c

: draft (see draft entry 2 sense 2) beer

a glass of draft

8

nautical : the depth of water a ship draws (see draw entry 1 sense transitive 6) especially when loaded

9

a(1)

: a system for or act of selecting individuals from a group (as for compulsory military service)

debating whether or not to institute a draft

(2)

: an act or process of selecting an individual (as for political candidacy) without the individual's expressed consent

b

: a group of individuals selected especially by military draft

c

sports : a system whereby exclusive rights to selected new players are apportioned among professional teams

He was chosen in the first round of the draft.

10

a

: an order for the payment of money drawn (see draw entry 1 sense 7c) by one person or bank on another

b

: the act or an instance of drawing from or making demands upon something : demand

11

a

: a current of air in a closed-in space

felt a draft

b

: a device for regulating the flow of air (as in a fireplace)

open the draft

12

: angle, taper

specifically, industrial engineering : the taper (see taper entry 2 sense 2b) given to a pattern or die (see die entry 2 sense 3) so that the work can be easily withdrawn

13

: a pocket of reduced air pressure behind a moving object

also, racing sports : the use of such a draft to save energy

draft

2 of 3

adjective

1

animal husbandry : used or adapted for drawing loads

draft horses

2

: being or having been ready to be drawn from a receptacle : being or having been on draft

drinking draft beer

draft

3 of 3

verb

drafted; drafting; drafts

transitive verb

1

: to select for some purpose: such as

a

: to conscript for military service

was drafted and sent overseas

b

sports : to select (a professional athlete) by draft

got drafted by the Yankees

2

a

: to draw the preliminary sketch, version, or plan of

draft legislation

b

: compose, prepare

draft a memo

3

: to draw off or away

water drafted by pumps

4

racing sports : to stay close behind (another racer) so as to take advantage of the reduced air pressure created by the leading racer

intransitive verb

1

: to practice draftsmanship

2

racing sports : to draft another racer (as in car or bike racing)

draftable

ˈdraf-tə-bəl 

ˈdräf-

adjective

draftee

ˌdraf-ˈtē 

ˌdräf-

noun

drafter

ˈdraf-tər 

ˈdräf-

noun

Phrases

on draft

: ready to be drawn from a receptacle

beer on draft

Synonyms

Noun

• burden
• cargo
• freight
• haul
• lading
• load
• loading
• payload
• weight

Verb

• conscribe
• conscript
• levy

Examples of draft in a Sentence

Noun

The published poem differs quite a bit from earlier drafts.

You may want to seal the windows with plastic to stop drafts.

Verb

The two countries are drafting a treaty.

The drama club drafted three teenagers to be in the parade.

The legislature debated drafting more soldiers.

The new rule prohibits teams from drafting players under 18.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The book has followed him in draft form through a MacArthur Fellowship, the releases of three other award-winning titles, the hosting of two podcasts, creating over a hundred Spotify playlists, and through the paradigm shift that the pandemic brought to the world’s doorstep. —Hazlitt, 10 Apr. 2024

The protective limits are similar to the draft regulation issued a year ago. —The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

Texas receiver Xavier Worthy Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator keeps track of reader selections, and an overwhelming 31% of respondents have Worthy landing with the Chiefs. —Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024

Even before Musselman’s hire, Collier’s return seemed unlikely as he was projected as a first-round draft pick. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

The Luxury Locker Room will be open until April 27, from noon to 8 p.m. daily and for extended hours on draft days. —Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024

These are the types of things an FCS/small-school prospect needs to do during the draft process to get noticed. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

The Secure and Interoperable Government Collaboration Technology Act, a discussion draft shared exclusively with The Verge, would make it so that a government user on Teams, for example, would be able to talk to a colleague at a different agency using Zoom. —Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 8 Apr. 2024

The draft was then opened up for public comment before being released in its final form Thursday. —Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024

Adjective

First round:Cincinnati Reds draft Wake Forest pitcher Rhett Lowder in first round of 2023 MLB Draft The Reds’ draft picks who sign with the team will report to Goodyear, Arizona, for post-draft camp before reporting to minor league affiliate teams. —Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 12 July 2023

Tune did a pre-draft workout with the Cowboys. —Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 13 Apr. 2023

Jake Chisholm Chisholm, who was a standout running back at Ryle High School before a collegiate career at the University of Dayton, will participate in the Cincinnati Bengals local pre-draft workout later this month. —Shelby Dermer, The Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2023

At 6-foot-2 and turning 23 before the next NBA season gets underway, Sasser will have size and age working against him throughout the pre-draft process. —Josh Criswell, Chron, 25 Mar. 2023

Even without the knee injury, Hooker has other questions to answer in the pre-draft process. —The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2023

At the time, the COVID-19 pandemic had already wiped out his best chance at finding a professional basketball job in the U.S., his pre-draft workouts and summer plans completely altered when his college career ended on a Sunday and the world stopped March 11, 2020, three days later. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2022

Former Auburn player Jabari Smith Jr. talks with members of the media after his pre-draft workout with the Orlando Magic. —Khobi Price, Orlando Sentinel, 18 June 2022

Although my pre-draft plan was to build a balanced roster, Ohtani was certainly worth grabbing at a discount. —Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023

Verb

This means the Fever are in the best position to draft Clark. —Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024

Colombia’s environment minister Susana Muhamad urged city authorities to draft long-term plans for dwindling water supplies. —Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024

In 1969, the Buffalo Bills drafted him as the first overall pick in the AFL-NFL Common Draft. —Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

The Buffalo Bills drafted Simpson with the first overall pick in the 1969 draft. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2024

Age: 23 Idaho tie: College of Southern Idaho After pitching at the College of Southern Idaho in 2022, Arizona drafted him out of Utah Valley in the 11th round last summer. —Michael Lycklama, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024

There will also be a LEGO bar where guests can select a kit or draft their favorite team colors into a custom box. —Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024

When the Broncos released Russell Wilson, the need to draft a QB became the top priority. —Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2024

Image In June, Google’s legal department asked the privacy team to draft language to broaden what the company could use consumer data for, according to two members of the privacy team and an internal message viewed by The Times. —Nico Grant, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English draght; akin to Old English dragan to draw — more at draw

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1714, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing draft

• draft dodger
• dodge the draft
• pre-draft
• anti-draft
• draft board
• rough draft
• bank draft
• final draft
• on draft

Kids Definition

draft

1 of 3 noun

ˈdraft 

ˈdrȧft

1

a

: the act of pulling or hauling

b

: the thing or amount pulled

2

: the act or an instance of drinking or inhaling

also : the portion drunk or inhaled at one time

3

a

: something represented in words or lines : design, plan

b

: a quick sketch, outline, or version from which a final work is produced

a rough draft of the essay

4

a

: the act of drawing out liquid (as from a barrel)

b

: a portion of liquid drawn out

5

: the depth of water required for a ship to float when loaded

6

: a picking of persons for required military service

7

: an order (as a check) issued by one party to another (as a bank) to pay money to a third party

8

a

: a current of air

b

: a device to regulate an air supply (as in a stove)

draft

2 of 3 adjective

1

: used for pulling loads

draft animals

2

: being a version to be finished later

a draft treaty

3

: being or having been on draft

draft beer

draft

3 of 3 verb

1

: to pick especially for required military service

2

a

: to make a draft of : outline

draft a plan

b

: to put into written form

draft an essay

drafter noun

Medical Definition

draft

noun

variants or chiefly British draught

ˈdraft, ˈdrȧft 

1

: a portion (as of medicine) poured out or mixed for drinking : dose

2

: a current of air in a closed-in space

drafty adjective

or chiefly British draughty

ˈdraf-tē, ˈdrȧf- 

Legal Definition

draft

1 of 2 noun

1

: a preliminary version of something (as a law)

2

a

: a system for or act of selecting individuals from a group (as for military service)

b

: the act or process of selecting an individual (as for political candidacy) without his or her expressed consent

3

: an order for the payment of money drawn by one person or bank on another see also drawee, drawer compare check

— documentary draft

: a draft that will be honored only upon the presentation of certain documents (as an invoice or certificate of title)

— sight draft

: a draft payable on presentation

— time draft

: a draft payable a specified number of days after the date of the draft or of its presentation

draft

2 of 2 transitive verb

1

: to select for some purpose

specifically : to conscript for military service

2

: to compose or prepare especially the preliminary version of

drafting legislation

intransitive verb

: to practice draftsmanship

drafter noun