draw up

verb

drew up; drawn up; drawing up; draws up

transitive verb

1

: to bring (a body of troops) into array

2

: to prepare a draft or version of

draw up plans

3

: to bring to a halt

4

: to straighten (oneself) to an erect posture especially as an assertion of dignity or resentment

intransitive verb

: to come to a halt

the car drew up at the door

Synonyms of draw up

• stop
• halt
• catch
• stall
• pull up
• check
• stay

Examples of draw up in a Sentence

he drew up his horse outside the tavern

drew up the troops into a line along the ridge

Recent Examples on the Web

Understand there had yet to be a plan drawn up as to what the space would look like once complete. — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

The borough itself has tried to save the atom smasher with plans drawn up to move it down the street next to the borough building. — Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 30 July 2026

Which technique is the most appropriate depends on a patient's degree of hair loss, donor density, and treatment goals, all of which should be evaluated in a proper consultation before any plan is drawn up. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 29 July 2026

Now a salesperson can type in what a customer wants, such as products, quantities, delivery options and available discounts, and Roadrunner’s multi-agentic system draws up a customer quote in minutes. — Richard Nieva, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for draw up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

draw up

verb

1

: to arrange (as troops) in order

2

: to prepare a draft or version of

draw up plans

3

: to straighten (oneself) to an erect posture

drew himself up angrily and left the room

4

: to bring or come to a stop

the car drew up at the door