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\ 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taper (see taper entry 2 sense 2b) given to a pattern or die (see die entry 2 sense 3) so that the work can be easily withdrawn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
verbdrafted; 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- \ adjectivedraftee \ ˌdraf-ˈtē , ˌdräf- \ noun
, ˌdräf- \ noundrafter \ ˈdraf-tər , ˈdräf- \ noun
, ˈdräf- \ noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Steelers’ first-round pick (No. 16) out of Southern California in the 2003 NFL draft, Polamalu was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and was named to the NFL All-Pro first-team four times during his 12-year career.
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oregonlive, "Former Oregon prep star Troy Polamalu selected as a finalist for 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame," 4 Jan. 2020 One of those mock drafts, compiled by Dane Brugler of The Athletic last month, projected Wills as the No.
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Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, "Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills declares for NFL draft," 4 Jan. 2020 Coincidentally, Washington owns the No. 2 pick in the draft (after Cincinnati).
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Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Ohio State football’s Chase Young declares for 2020 NFL Draft; expected to be among first selections," 3 Jan. 2020 Notre Dame's star tight end reneged on his previous plans to return and declared for the draft on Thursday, announcing the news via Twitter.
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Carter Karels, Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame football: Tight end Cole Kmet heads to NFL Draft," 2 Jan. 2020 Murray, a third-round pick in the 2012 draft, is 11-6-4 on the year with a .894 SV% and 2.96 GAA.
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Esten Mclaren, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, "Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins odds, picks and best bets," 30 Dec. 2019 Of the 10 defensive backs on the Cardinals active roster, seven arrived in 2019, between the draft, waivers and free agents.
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Katherine Fitzgerald, azcentral, "Chance for revenge? Cardinals hope season finale with Rams erases 'bad taste'," 26 Dec. 2019 Leading up to the 2015 NFL draft, Collins was considered to be one of the 10 best prospects entering the league.
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Allen Kim, CNN, "Cowboys tackle La'el Collins surprised his mom with a house for Christmas," 25 Dec. 2019 The Wildcats were so loaded that spring that a record six of their players were selected in a two-round NBA draft, including Davis with the first overall pick and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the second.
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Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Top 10 Kentucky sports stories of the decade: from a stripper scandal to a Triple Crown," 23 Dec. 2019 Recent 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.
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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.
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Kevin Casas, star-telegram, "Tall tale of a friendship made in Germany and groomed with the Dallas Mavericks," 3 Mar. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Johnson is credited with discovering drafting — using the slipstream of the car in front of you on the track to keep up or slingshot past.
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Anchorage Daily News, "Junior Johnson, “The Last American Hero,” dies at 88," 21 Dec. 2019 Our Bengals will get the 2nd, 3rd or 4th pick, draft some guy who was a stud in college but who winds up having a disappointing, injury-riddled career.
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Jason Buelterman, Cincinnati.com, "Guest TML: The Cincinnati Bengals have given us fans Bengalitis, so we prep for the worst," 20 Dec. 2019 Ueland also talked about his role in helping the president draft a scathing six-page letter to Pelosi, in which Mr. Trump soundly condemned the impeachment process and the speaker.
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Grace Segers, CBS News, "Trump legislative director says Trump is "baffled" by Pelosi," 20 Dec. 2019 By that time, fans were already miffed, drafting their impassioned tweets about Sexton’s lack of court vision, awareness and passing ability.
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Chris Fedor, cleveland, "Collin Sexton has heard the criticism, and he’s using it as fuel to prove everyone wrong -- again," 20 Dec. 2019 The House Judiciary Committee may have adopted a more streamlined approach when drafting its articles, but the point still stands.
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Matt Ford, The New Republic, "President* Donald Trump," 19 Dec. 2019 But Cole elected to attend U.C.L.A. and was drafted No. 1 over all by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.
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David Waldstein, New York Times, "With Nods to the Past, Gerrit Cole Embraces His Yankees Future," 18 Dec. 2019 Such convoys could improve fuel efficiency by letting vehicles draft each other and might even allow for going human-free in all but the lead truck.
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Wired Staff, Wired, "Where the 5G Data Storm Will Hit First," 17 Dec. 2019 Every time the Wild win, the team’s chances of drafting Alexis Lafreniere diminish.
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Charley Walters, Twin Cities, "Charley Walters: Vikings likely must win 2 of last 3 games for playoff berth," 14 Dec. 2019
See MoreThese 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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Dictionary Entries near draft
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Last Updated
7 Jan 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Draft.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draft. Accessed 17 January 2020.
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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
verbdrafted; 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
nounvariants:
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
\ adjectiveKeep scrolling for more
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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Time Traveler for draft
The first known use of draft was in the 13th century
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