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

European powers have been caught off guard by the plan which contains major concessions to Russia and was drawn up with little input from Ukraine or Europe. —Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 2025

The law — immunity for health care providers during COVID-19 emergency — was drawn up in response to the pandemic. —Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 21 Nov. 2025

On Tuesday, Axios reported that a secret peace deal was being drawn up by Washington and Moscow, with some media outlets reporting a breakthrough could be imminent. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025

According to the White House, the plan was drawn up with direct input from Russia and Ukraine. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025

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