rough draft
noun
: a first version of something (such as a document) that needs a lot of editing and rewriting
I just completed a rough draft of my speech.
Examples of rough draft in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The story of the Eaton Fire is still a rough draft.
—
Maggie Vespa, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2025
Don’t send them down from the mountain in an imposing way; look at the bigger goals as a rough draft and baseline, then let your team add some additions and flavor.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Wolff wrote a rough draft in two months, from May to June of 2019, but Pelletier didn’t start editing in earnest until December, several weeks before the book was scheduled to go to press.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
After an initial proposal of $250 billion a year was soundly rejected, the Azerbaijan presidency brewed up a new rough draft of $300 billion that was never formally presented, but also dismissed roundly by African nations and small island states, according to messages relayed from inside.
—Graham Underwood, arkansasonline.com, 24 Nov. 2024
This contradiction is one of many that makes Megalopolis feel, for all the money and time and clear passion that went into it, like a rough draft of a film that needed several more revisions to find a coherent thesis.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In the notes, Jefferson details his private papers collected upon a bookshelf, including a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 1 July 2024
The series is half-formed, a rough draft for something better down the line.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Barton will present the upcoming fiscal year's rough draft budget to the City Council on March 19.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
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Maggie Vespa, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2025
Don’t send them down from the mountain in an imposing way; look at the bigger goals as a rough draft and baseline, then let your team add some additions and flavor.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Wolff wrote a rough draft in two months, from May to June of 2019, but Pelletier didn’t start editing in earnest until December, several weeks before the book was scheduled to go to press.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
After an initial proposal of $250 billion a year was soundly rejected, the Azerbaijan presidency brewed up a new rough draft of $300 billion that was never formally presented, but also dismissed roundly by African nations and small island states, according to messages relayed from inside.
—Graham Underwood, arkansasonline.com, 24 Nov. 2024
This contradiction is one of many that makes Megalopolis feel, for all the money and time and clear passion that went into it, like a rough draft of a film that needed several more revisions to find a coherent thesis.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
In the notes, Jefferson details his private papers collected upon a bookshelf, including a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 1 July 2024
The series is half-formed, a rough draft for something better down the line.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 2 May 2024
Barton will present the upcoming fiscal year's rough draft budget to the City Council on March 19.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rough draft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough%20draft. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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