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
Ryan was heavily involved with drawing up trick plays for former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and is lauded for his creativity.
—
Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Certain assistants are also tasked with drawing up each opponents’ plays as part of weekly preparation.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2026
While the Blue Lagoon—its waters milky with mineral-rich silica—remains the most famous, drawing up to a million visitors a year, smaller, less touristy lagoons have been appearing across the country, from Sky Lagoon on Kársnes Harbour near Reykjavik to Forest Lagoon in Iceland’s far north.
—Rick Jordan, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Santa Clara police, who have been drawing up security for 49ers games and other major events since the venue opened in 2014 — and who helped host Super Bowl 50, the stadium’s first NFL championship, in 2016 — have been guarded about releasing even broad security details.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
But drawing up a workable game plan for Jarrett Stidham is right in Sean Payton’s wheelhouse, so don’t count out the Broncos.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
One of them is by drawing up military models to repel a theoretical invasion from the US — the first time in a century that Canadian Armed Forces have done so.
—Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21, Futurism, 21 Jan. 2026
And McMillan gave them some help with his clipboard and dry-erase marker, too, drawing up a handful of plays that completely negated the Texas defense and allowed the Aggies open looks at the rim.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 17 Jan. 2026
The Red Sox understandably are drawing up contingency plans to replace the three-time All-Star who will turn 32 at the start of next season.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Certain assistants are also tasked with drawing up each opponents’ plays as part of weekly preparation.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 26 Feb. 2026
While the Blue Lagoon—its waters milky with mineral-rich silica—remains the most famous, drawing up to a million visitors a year, smaller, less touristy lagoons have been appearing across the country, from Sky Lagoon on Kársnes Harbour near Reykjavik to Forest Lagoon in Iceland’s far north.
—Rick Jordan, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Santa Clara police, who have been drawing up security for 49ers games and other major events since the venue opened in 2014 — and who helped host Super Bowl 50, the stadium’s first NFL championship, in 2016 — have been guarded about releasing even broad security details.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
But drawing up a workable game plan for Jarrett Stidham is right in Sean Payton’s wheelhouse, so don’t count out the Broncos.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026
One of them is by drawing up military models to repel a theoretical invasion from the US — the first time in a century that Canadian Armed Forces have done so.
—Joe Wilkins Published Jan 21, Futurism, 21 Jan. 2026
And McMillan gave them some help with his clipboard and dry-erase marker, too, drawing up a handful of plays that completely negated the Texas defense and allowed the Aggies open looks at the rim.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 17 Jan. 2026
The Red Sox understandably are drawing up contingency plans to replace the three-time All-Star who will turn 32 at the start of next season.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drawing up
Verb
-
Leave the resort to dine at Sunset Mona Lisa, a neighboring cliffside terrace where Mediterranean-leaning plates play second fiddle to the show-stopping tangerine-pink sunsets.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Arizona's prosecution comes shortly after Kalshi filed preemptive civil actions against Utah, Iowa and the Grand Canyon State in hopes of stopping those states from acting against the platform.—
David K. Li,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An officer wrote a report this week, classifying it as fourth-degree intentional damage to property, after receiving information last month.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The industry says classifying EWA as a loan could have the perverse effect of sending consumers back to higher-cost, risky alternatives such as payday loans or pawn shops by imposing unnecessary restrictions, such as mandatory fees, interest charges and credit reporting requirements.—
Cheryl Winokur Munk,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Some Israeli troops have pushed into southern Lebanon, and there are fears Israel is preparing a large-scale invasion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
-
These additions suggest the show is preparing to go deeper into the Baroque Works organization, which drove much of Season 2’s plot.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His comments came after Putin asked the government and companies to consider halting gas supplies to the European market without waiting for an import ban.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
That’s massively good news after his 2023 season ended early thanks to a ruptured Achilles in Week 12, halting what was looking to be his best professional season.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From his first run with the Academy Awards arranging team in 2008, Walden was hooked; the job seamlessly blended his favorite parts about film scoring and classical composing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The Paley Center for Media is arranging the pieces for its Paley Honors Spring Gala program.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After all, orchestrating pre-arranged scores is far easier than composing original music from scratch.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
It's best suited to high-level video editing, VFX work, 3D modeling and rendering, composing scores, and working with custom AI models.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
To protect these fragile machines, developers are supposed to invest in expensive battery storage or grid backups, ultimately driving up production costs and stalling the transition to affordable green fuel.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Rising oil prices are also likely to boost the costs of other goods, with the closed strait also stalling shipments of fertilizer ingredients and likely raising prices on household items that could hit consumers for months.—
Timothy Gardner,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some have begun organizing a protest in downtown Newton this weekend.—
Amber Gaudet,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Continuum Suite is not that, but instead a system for organizing and coordinating many aspects of a production.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drawing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drawing%20up. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
