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

For this article, a longlist of games was drawn up and then a panel of our journalists ranked them in order of most importance. —Will Jeanes, New York Times, 5 June 2026

Opening on Juneteenth, the $850-million Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side blends museum, park and community hub, aiming to draw up to 1 million visitors annually. —Sophia Tareen, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

After Sailors coach Mark Puzzangara called a timeout to draw up a last-second play, the Sailors tacked on one more tally before the break. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026

In the 1990s, Cisco drew up a similar proposal. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 1 June 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