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

The Canadian Space Agency and MDA has also drawn up plans for a new Canadarm3, that was to be used for NASA's Gateway lunar space station, though that station project is stalled for now, NASA has said. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026

The Falcons drew up quick passing plays for Penix to get going, and once the Packers had to respect Robinson’s running ability, play-action passes were Penix’s bread and butter. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The idea of embedding external evaluators inside companies has been mostly well-received by the industry, but some critics questioned how independent the assessors could be and how the evaluation standards would be drawn up. — Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

This impetus did not begin with the war on terror; generations of American leaders and scholars have sought to increase presidential power, drawing up mechanisms that could sideline civil liberties and intertwine military and police activities. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 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