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

• 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

But after Harrell totaled 54 of his 140 passing yards on the drive, offensive coordinator Todd Fitch drew up consecutive handoffs in the redzone, stalling the drive. —Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2025

French President Emmanuel Macron said alongside Zelenskyy in Paris on Wednesday that the coalition leaders would endorse plans for security guarantees drawn up by their militaries. —John Irish, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

Although there had been hope that some funding would be restored, given that no budget has been approved for the next fiscal year, Republicans in the House and the Senate have failed to include public media funding in the resolutions drawn up so far. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025

These winds continually draw up deep ocean waters to the surface. —Nadir Jeevanjee, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 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