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

His Interior Department has lifted Biden-era restrictions barring drilling across much of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and is now drawing up plans to streamline permitting for oil projects in the territory. —Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Fortune, 24 May 2026

The club deny drawing up a shortlist. —Sam Lee, New York Times, 23 May 2026

The diagnostic checklist that an attentive observer might have drawn up in Britain in the 1770s seems very familiar. —Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026

Hennepin County has drawn up plans to reconstruct Lyndale Avenue between Franklin Avenue and 31st Street. —Ashley Grams, CBS News, 19 May 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