1
as in stopping
to bring (something) to a standstill
he drew up his horse outside the tavern
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in classifying
to put into a particular arrangement
drew up the troops into a line along the ridge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in preparing
to put (something) into proper and usually carefully worked out written form
draw up a proposal and submit it to the committee for approval
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drawing up
And even beyond the storms themselves, meteorologists face additional uncertainty in drawing up a forecast.
—
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2025
The amendments resulted in Colorado drawing up the 8th Congressional District — a new seat granted to the state after the 2020 census — as one of the most competitive seats in the country.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Flores is known for drawing up aggressive blitz packages, with the Vikings’ 49 sacks last season tied for fourth-most in the NFL.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Sep. 2025
And Roman delivered the game plan, utilizing four-wide receiver sets and going heavy on play action, drawing up some nifty passing plays gave Herbert wide-open throws deep.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Deadline reported last month that Ashling O’Connor, a consultant at executive search firm Spencer Stuart, has circulated a brief for the CEO position and is drawing up a list of potential candidates.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
McCarthy was having some trouble doing so to start this game, as the Bears’ defense, led by new coordinator Dennis Allen, was drawing up the right pressures to fluster the young signal caller.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The United States seriously contemplated striking North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor in 1993, even drawing up military plans to attack the site with penetrating munitions delivered by stealth bombers.
—Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
California is drawing up its own map in retaliation, with leaders from New York, Maryland, and Illinois signaling similar plans.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2025
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Sep. 2025
The amendments resulted in Colorado drawing up the 8th Congressional District — a new seat granted to the state after the 2020 census — as one of the most competitive seats in the country.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
Flores is known for drawing up aggressive blitz packages, with the Vikings’ 49 sacks last season tied for fourth-most in the NFL.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Sep. 2025
And Roman delivered the game plan, utilizing four-wide receiver sets and going heavy on play action, drawing up some nifty passing plays gave Herbert wide-open throws deep.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Deadline reported last month that Ashling O’Connor, a consultant at executive search firm Spencer Stuart, has circulated a brief for the CEO position and is drawing up a list of potential candidates.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
McCarthy was having some trouble doing so to start this game, as the Bears’ defense, led by new coordinator Dennis Allen, was drawing up the right pressures to fluster the young signal caller.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The United States seriously contemplated striking North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor in 1993, even drawing up military plans to attack the site with penetrating munitions delivered by stealth bombers.
—Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
California is drawing up its own map in retaliation, with leaders from New York, Maryland, and Illinois signaling similar plans.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drawing up
Verb
-
Teams have no choice but to continue to throw numbers at stopping the run.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That's the same deadline that Grassley gave Noem to respond about stopping student visa authorizations.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Forecasters give Sherrill an advantage, with both the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball classifying the race as Leans Democrat.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Without establishing any link to last week’s shooting, the Republican president and members of his administration have discussed classifying some groups as domestic terrorists, ordering racketeering investigations and revoking tax-exempt status for progressive nonprofits.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If that fails, scientists suggest preparing a nuclear option.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
-
As Hughes is preparing to take the corner, Richards attacks the back-post zone and Munoz dashes towards the near post to occupy Kyle Walker-Peters.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The sanctions, which will go into effect unless there’s a last-minute deal Friday, will include freezing Iranian assets abroad, halting arms deals with Tehran and penalizing any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The best shot at halting the gerrymander, experts and some Democrats say, is fighting the map in court and at the ballot box.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lucy Milligan Wahl is the owner of LMW Edits, a professional organizing company.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Sep. 2025
-
In an interview with Vogue to promote her new Maybelline campaign, the Grammy winner, 32, spoke about spending time organizing clothes, awards and other objects from her career, noting how she's been doing the same in many areas of her life.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The difference is that composing while in motion may be a particularly useful way to address a crisis in creativity.—
Karen Palmer
September 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Many of the chefs are like musicians who have graduated from covering other artists’ songs to composing their own masterpieces.—
Jamila Robinson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Despite earlier National Hurricane Center predictions of strong winds and heavy rain across the Carolinas next week, most weather models now show the storm slowing or stalling well off the South Carolina coast, Kimball said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Central was able to drive down to the Keller 15-yard line before stalling, but a 32-yard field goal attempt on the third play of the fourth quarter sailed wide left.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The whistleblower complaint alleges that in addition to arranging for fake jobs, LAFS also illegally tied compensation for its sales team to student enrollment.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
23 Sep. 2025
-
To roast pepitas, follow the same initial steps (preheating your oven, tossing them in olive oil and seasonings, and arranging them on a baking sheet).—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drawing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drawing%20up. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share