SINCE 1828
draft
noun
\ ˈdraft
, ˈdräft
\
, ˈdräft
\
Definition of draft
(Entry 1 of 3)
2a
: 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
4a
: the act of moving loads by drawing or pulling : pull
b
: a team of animals together with what they draw
5a
: delineation, representation
a draft for a future skyscraper
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)
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
9a(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.
10a
: 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
11a
: 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taper (see taper entry 2 sense 2b) given to a pattern or die (see die entry 2 sense 3) so that the work can be easily withdrawn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
on draft
: ready to be drawn from a receptacle
beer on draft
draft
adjectiveDefinition of draft (Entry 2 of 3)
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
verb
drafted;
drafting;
drafts
Definition of draft (Entry 3 of 3)
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
2a
: to draw the preliminary sketch, version, or plan of
draft legislation
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
1
: to practice draftsmanship
2
racing sports
: to draft another racer (as in car or bike racing)
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Other Words from draft
Verb
draftable
\ ˈdraf-tə-bəl
, ˈdräf- \
adjective
, ˈdräf- \
adjective
draftee
\ ˌdraf-ˈtē
, ˌdräf- \
noun
, ˌdräf- \
noun
drafter
\ ˈdraf-tər
, ˈdräf- \
noun
, ˈdräf- \
noun
Synonyms for draft
Synonyms: Noun
burden, cargo, freight, haul, lading, load, loading, payload, weight
Synonyms: Verb
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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
Murphy, a cornerback, became the first pick of the second round of the NFL draft, chosen by the Cardinals. — Richard Obert, azcentral, "Rattlers DB Johnson chasing pro football dream with NFL roommate Byron Murphy," 7 June 2019 Ponds — along with five other prospects — worked out for the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the franchise’s seventh workout with just under two weeks before the June 20 draft, which will be held in Brooklyn, N.Y. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons draft prospect Shamorie Ponds gets buckets, brings swagger," 7 June 2019 Forget the question marks, draft one, and trust our culture. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Is a Waiters, Johnson selloff possible for Heat?," 6 June 2019 Many expect Hayes to be a lottery pick in the draft, which takes place Thursday, June 20 in Brooklyn, New York. — Dave Clark, Cincinnati.com, "Jaxson Hayes, projected NBA Draft lottery pick, visits Northern Kentucky University Norse," 6 June 2019 But the draft, which concluded Wednesday, remained on the minds of everyone all week. — Steve Henson, latimes.com, "UCLA coach John Savage considers the MLB draft a headache," 6 June 2019 Australian law grants law-enforcement agencies broad authority to prosecute whistleblowers, and the police combed through thousands of files during their search of ABC’s emails, drafts, raw footage, and other sensitive files. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Australia’s Media Raids and the Decline of Press Freedom Worldwide," 6 June 2019 Whom will the Bulls draft at No. 7? — Doug, Evergreen Park No compatible source was found for this media. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls Q&A: Can Lauri Markkanen be the lead player on a title team? Is Denzel Valentine doing on-court work yet? Who's the No. 7 pick?," 6 June 2019 In total, 34 players from the Houston area were selected in the 40-round draft, including nine players directly out of high school. — Matt Young, Houston Chronicle, "Former Houston high school stars taken in this year's MLB Draft," 6 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
First round: Navigating the green room As mentioned in previous articles, every player’s situation is different and draft day is no exception. — Matt Babcock, SI.com, "The Dreams and Nightmares of Every Agent on NBA Draft Night," 18 June 2018 Kleber had tried to catch the eye of an NBA team twice, withdrawing from draft consideration in 2012 and going undrafted in 2014. — Kevin Casas, star-telegram, "Tall tale of a friendship made in Germany and groomed with the Dallas Mavericks," 3 Mar. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Reds have $9,528,600 in their draft pool to spend on players drafted in the first 10 rounds. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Evaluating some of the Cincinnati Reds' picks in the 2019 MLB Draft," 5 June 2019 If a player drafted in the first 10 rounds does not sign, the team also loses his slot value. — Nathan Ruiz, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles Day 3 draft tracker: Stanford's Andrew Daschbach selected to start draft's final day," 5 June 2019 Steer becomes the highest UO position player drafted since baseball returned in 2009. — oregonlive.com, "Pat Bailey and, maybe, Nate Yeskie are candidates to replace Pat Casey at OSU: Diamonds & Dust," 5 June 2019 Lodolo became the 76th player drafted in Jim Schlossnagle’s 16 seasons. — Drew Davison, star-telegram, "MLB Draft tracker: TCU’s Brandon Williamson taken by Seattle Mariners in second round," 3 June 2019 Wilson is the second collegiate position player drafted in the first round by the Angels under Eppler. — Maria Torres, latimes.com, "Angels draft hard-hitting shortstop Will Wilson of N.C. State in first round," 3 June 2019 Today, there are 8,617 players and the state’s handful of NHL graduates includes Scottsdale product Auston Matthews, drafted first overall by Toronto in 2016. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "Seattle-area amateur hockey leaders gearing for membership explosion with NHL team’s arrival," 5 Dec. 2018 Frost, drafted in the first round (27th overall) in 2017, is coming off a 112-point season for Sault Ste. — Sam Carchidi, Philly.com, "Morgan Frost, impressive in development camp, is aiming for spot with Flyers this season," 2 July 2018 Diallo was the fourth Kentucky player drafted Thursday, joining Kevin Knox (No. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Hamidou Diallo picked in second round of NBA draft, reportedly traded to Charlotte," 21 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'draft.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
'Draft' vs. 'Draught'
'Draft' vs. 'Draught'
They're spelling variants but aren't exactly interchangeable.
Statistics for draft
Last Updated
10 Jun 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for draft
The first known use of draft was in the 13th century
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More Definitions for draft
draft
noun
English Language Learners Definition of draft
(Entry 1 of 3)
: a version of something (such as a document) that you make before you make the final version
: cool air moving in a closed space (such as a room)
: a system in which young people are required to join the armed forces of a country for a period of service
draft
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of draft (Entry 2 of 3)
of an animal
: used for pulling heavy loads
of beer
: stored in and poured from a large container
: not yet in the final form
draft
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of draft (Entry 3 of 3)
: to make a version of (something, such as a document or plan) that will need more work in order to be finished
: to choose (someone) for a special purpose
US
: to officially order (someone) to join the armed forces
See the full definition for draft in the English Language Learners Dictionary
draft
noun
\ ˈdraft
, ˈdräft\
, ˈdräft\
Kids Definition of draft
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
: a version of something written or drawn (as an essay, document, or plan) that has or will have more than one version
I finished the rough draft of my report.
2
: a current of air
3
: a device to regulate an air supply (as in a fireplace)
4
: the act of pulling or hauling : the thing or amount pulled
a beast of draft
5
: the act or an instance of drinking or inhaling : the portion drunk or inhaled at one time
He took a draft of his drink.
6
: the act of drawing out liquid (as from a cask) : a portion of liquid drawn out
a draft of beer
7
: the depth of water a ship needs in order to float
8
: the practice of ordering people into military service
9
: the practice of choosing someone to play on a professional sports team
10
: an order made by one person or organization to another to pay money to a third person or organization
draft
adjectiveKids Definition of draft (Entry 2 of 3)
1
: used for pulling loads
a draft animal
2
: not in final form
a draft report
3
: ready to be drawn from a container
draft beer
draft
verb
drafted;
drafting
Kids Definition of draft (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: to write or draw a version of something (as an essay or plan) that usually needs more work
2
: to choose someone to do something
Mom drafted us to clean the garage.
3
: to pick especially for required military service
draft
noun
variants:
or chiefly British draught \ ˈdraft, ˈdrȧft
\
\
Medical Definition of draft
1
: a portion (as of medicine) poured out or mixed for drinking : dose
2
: a current of air in a closed-in space
Other Words from draft
drafty
or chiefly British draughty \ ˈdraf-tē, ˈdrȧf-
\
adjective
\
adjective
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draft
nounLegal Definition of draft
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a preliminary version of something (as a law)
2a
: 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
transitive verbLegal Definition of draft (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to select for some purpose
specifically
: to conscript for military service
2
: to compose or prepare especially the preliminary version of
drafting legislation
: to practice draftsmanship
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