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

This process enables a stronger foundation of vetting for the final nominations that a country draws up. — Karina Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Nov. 2026

But like some of the proposals before it, this one was drawn up without participation from the team. — Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

To facilitate construction, the Arizona Department of Water approved a request to build two wells on the site, allowing the facility to draw up 31 million gallons of groundwater a year. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026

That action comes as part of a broader regional war in the Middle East that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February 2026—and Iran has drawn up plans to potentially attack undersea cables if hostilities ramp up once again. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 28 Oct. 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