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

Some agreements have already been signed, while others are being drawn up. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Inside, the blueprint for the rooms, which was drawn up in 1929, is much the same, though with some welcome contemporary additions like coffee machines and vast TVs. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2026

With its forces on high alert, Israel is drawing up operational plans for a further escalation in the US-Iran conflict, three Israeli sources said, but for now remains on the sidelines and has no imminent plans to join. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

Rudi Garcia then arguably drew up the game plan of the tournament, leaving Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku out of his starting XI and still managing to humiliate the hosts. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 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