Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary
thesaurus
view recents

drawing board

noun
Save Word

Definition of drawing board

1 : a board used as a base for drafting on paper
2 : a planning stage a project still on the drawing board

Examples of drawing board in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ultimately, Hot Wheels designers went back to the drawing board and completely redesigned the model. — Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, "This might be the most valuable Hot Wheels car in the world," 24 Dec. 2020 So, Portland went back to the drawing board to fix several issues. — oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets: Preseason game preview, time, TV channel, how to watch free live stream online," 18 Dec. 2020 But Auburn will have to find answers sooners rather than later, as the team goes back to the drawing board Sunday with Texas A&M and Mississippi State still looming on the schedule. — Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Peculiar season means Auburn can’t dwell on gutting Iron Bowl loss," 29 Nov. 2020 Here are some Twin Cities projects that never made it off the drawing board (thank goodness!) or became the initial steps to significantly better outcomes. — Rick Nelson, Star Tribune, "8 urban design disasters the Twin Cities has avoided," 23 Oct. 2020 But, under a reform plan passed in 2018, the Ohio Supreme Court can force lawmakers to go back to the drawing board to comply with certain criteria laid out in the reform plan. — Jackie Borchardt, The Enquirer, "A letter from Karl Rove. Mailers from Planned Parenthood. Why Ohio's Supreme Court race is so heated this year," 22 Oct. 2020 And the council had to go back to the drawing board after its initial shortlist, which included a rare turtle species, was criticized by the population. — Sandrine Rastello, Bloomberg.com, "Goodbye, Asbestos: Quebec Town Picks Another Name to Help Economy," 20 Oct. 2020 Unless California tears up the curriculum and goes back to the drawing board, the course would indoctrinate and divide. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Hope for California’s Schools," 1 Oct. 2020 In the age of COVID-19, no idea is too far outside the box for the drawing board. — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, "COVID-19 has forced the Big 12 to expand its thinking — and it could lead to at least one significant change next season," 21 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drawing board.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of drawing board

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about drawing board

Time Traveler for drawing board

Time Traveler

The first known use of drawing board was in 1725

See more words from the same year

Statistics for drawing board

Last Updated

8 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Drawing board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drawing%20board. Accessed 16 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for drawing board

drawing board

noun

English Language Learners Definition of drawing board

: a large flat board that is used for holding paper for drawing
: the time during which something is being planned : the planning stage of something

See the full definition for drawing board in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on drawing board

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for drawing board

Comments on drawing board

What made you want to look up drawing board? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

effusive

Listen to the pronunciation of effusive

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words of Snow and Ice Quiz

  • image1037863653
  • Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Typeshift

Anagram puzzles meet word search.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games