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taper (see taper entry 2 sense 2b) given to a pattern or die (see die entry 2 sense 3) so that the work can be easily withdrawn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
In other issues, Silver said: • The current rule that requires players to be out of high school for one year to be eligible for the draft is likely to be abandoned at some point. — Josh Robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Adam Silver says a ‘better system’ can improve NBA’s competitive balance," 11 July 2018 Flowers spoke when city leaders considered a new draft of an ordinance to regulate massage therapists in the college town, according to the Lawrence Journal-World. — Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity, "Legalize ‘happy ending’ massages, Lawrence man urges council. His passion is praised," 11 July 2018 The 23-year-old Burnes had known nothing but starting since joining the Brewers as a fourth-round draft pick out of St. Mary’s College of California in 2016. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Corbin Burnes makes his major-league debut one to remember," 10 July 2018 But the draft is making a comeback in some surprising places. — The Economist, "If national service is so good, everyone should do it," 5 July 2018 Residents also can view a draft of the plan, and offer comments at www.cmap.illinois.gov/onto2050. — Susan Demar Lafferty, Daily Southtown, "I-80 improvements deemed 'critical' in regional transportation plan," 3 July 2018 Newspapers, after all, provide the first draft of history. — San Francisco Chronicle, "Last week my father built a lemonade stand with my 5-year-old son. After some sawing, drilling and several coats of yellow paint, my little capitalist opened his small business in front of a Muni stop. In two hours, they made $23.," 25 June 2018 And from there, the Red Wings had a successful draft that not many predicted in terms of players. — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Red Wings overwhelmingly praised for NHL draft 2018," 25 June 2018 But in the weeks before last year’s NBA draft, Elliott knew something the league’s 30 teams didn’t. — Ben Cohen, WSJ, "The Big Data Behind the NBA’s Next Big Thing," 15 Mar. 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
After the war, riverjacks who had been drafted promptly returned and asked for their old jobs. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "The Lost Art of Floating Logs Down the River," 16 Feb. 2019 Jack was not drafted, but voluntarily enlisted to be with Nicky. — Emma Dibdin, Country Living, "'This Is Us' Fans Learned So Much About Jack in Tonight's 'Vietnam' Episode," 16 Oct. 2018 On the opposing end, Seattle forward Clint Dempsey, who was drafted by New England in 2004 and played for the team for three seasons, entered as a sub in the 62nd minute. — Owen Pence, BostonGlobe.com, "Revolution, Sounders end in scoreless draw," 8 July 2018 In March, Minoli drafted a memo that suggested Pruitt’s lease of the condo for $50 a night was in line with federal ethics rules. — Kevin Bogardus, Scientific American, "Ethics Investigation into EPA Head Scott Pruitt Widens," 2 July 2018 But few players get serious coaching in the amateur college system, and those who are not drafted to Major League Soccer cannot be promoted from lower divisions. — The Economist, "What makes a country good at football?," 9 June 2018 The engineering drawings look like Piranesi drafted them after a few double espressos. — Julie Lasky, ELLE Decor, "ED First Look: The National Museum of Qatar," 26 Mar. 2019 This was old, old Celine—exactly the kind of politely classy merchandise originally sold under the label before LVMH acquired it, long before even Phoebe Philo’s predecessor, Michael Kors, was drafted to make runway shows out of it. — Nicole Phelps, Vogue, "The Top 12 Shows of Paris Fashion Week Fall 2019," 6 Mar. 2019 The decree published Wednesday in the Royal Gazette put into effect election laws that were drafted by the military government, which has kept tight control over political activities and made efforts to quash dissent during its time in power. — Kaweewit Kaewjinda, The Seattle Times, "Thailand sets date of first general election since coup," 23 Jan. 2019These 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
23 Apr 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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