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

The school’s leadership quickly agreed the bulk of the Snap windfall would go into the endowment and a dedicated pool was drawn up to fund retention bonuses for teachers. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026

The county would then get a contract drawn up, and the contract would be reviewed before both parties sign. — Idaho Statesman, 12 Aug. 2026

Many people struggled to determine how much liquid to add to dissolve the powder and the correct dose to draw up once it was dissolved. — C. Michael White, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026

The plans for a new facility have been drawn up and hospital leaders are confident construction will be wrapped by the deadline. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 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