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

It’s expected that Saks Global will draw up a new schedule for paying vendors, which must be approved by the bankruptcy court judge. —David Moin, Footwear News, 23 Jan. 2026

Water is drawn up through the grinds via the food-grade tubing and centrifugally extracted to yield a 12-oz (355-ml) serving of cold brew coffee in five minutes. —Shirl Leigh january 22, New Atlas, 22 Jan. 2026

One of them is by drawing up military models to repel a theoretical invasion from the US — the first time in a century that Canadian Armed Forces have done so. —Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21, Futurism, 21 Jan. 2026

After a timeout, the Tigers drew up a look for sharpshooter Jacob Crews, the Southeastern Conference’s 3-point leader, who drained it to give Mizzou a 72-71 lead with 18 seconds left. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 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