draw out

verb

drew out; drawn out; drawing out; draws out

transitive verb

1

: remove, extract

2

: to extend beyond a minimum in time : protract sense 1

3

: to cause to speak freely

a reporter's ability to draw a person out

Synonyms

• drag (out)
• elongate
• extend
• lengthen
• outstretch
• prolong
• protract
• stretch

Examples of draw out in a Sentence

the actor refused to draw out the interview any further

Recent Examples on the Web

Though Republicans had the numbers to advance the measure, Democrats drew out the markup by debating more than 20 amendments that touched mostly on Hegseth. —Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 30 Apr. 2025

The key to drawing out the umami and sweetness from the kombu without the bitterness, Stuart-Wolff explained, is to remove the seaweed just before the water reaches a boil. —Rebekah Peppler, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2025

Yet these movements were not drawn out to the point of stasis, as in mannered recent performances by Vikingur Ólafsson. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025

This time, astronomers have used new processing techniques to draw out additional details in celebration of the telescope's upcoming 35th anniversary. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for draw out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

draw out

verb

1

: to cause to last longer than usual

2

: to cause or encourage to speak freely

tried to draw the shy child out