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
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Recent Examples of drawing up
As a Biden aide told us, allocating scarce vaccines felt like drawing up Schindler’s list.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Geno Auriemma and his players drawing up plays with breakfast items for a hotel chain.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
British ministers are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened ships traveling through the vital oil route.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
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
Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
Geno Auriemma and his players drawing up plays with breakfast items for a hotel chain.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
British ministers are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the Strait of Hormuz after Iran threatened ships traveling through the vital oil route.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drawing up
Verb
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Brooke Bereuter was masterful in goal for Grapevine shutting out Argyle (18-4-3) until the shootout, including stopping a key penalty kick in the first half.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
-
And on Monday, March 30, the court upheld the stay, effectively stopping any chance that the execution would happen as scheduled.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Whether the law survives looming legal challenges—rooted in a 1933 state Supreme Court ruling classifying income as property—remains an open question.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
By classifying sports betting as a public health issue and imposing rigid federal standards, the proposal also significantly limits the autonomy of the states, which have been primarily responsible for the legalization and regulation of this sector since 2018.—
Cláudia Nunes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2023, the company was preparing to release its GPT-4 Turbo model.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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South Africa is preparing the most sweeping overhaul of its migration laws in three decades in a bid to attract skilled migrants as part of efforts to boost moribund growth in Africa’s biggest economy.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nasa Worldview | Via Reuters The maritime passage has been almost completely shut by Iran since the war began in late February, effectively halting the shipping of Gulf oil and gas through the strait.—
Holly Ellyatt,Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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In retaliation for a ground invasion, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen could attack ships in the Red Sea, halting the flow of oil and cargo via a route that’s been used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Long before Manhattan's iconic street grid took shape, an English widow laid the groundwork for a settlement in Brooklyn, arranging a small village in what would become the United States into one of the first grid patterns.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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But arranging spheres becomes significantly more complex in higher dimensions, which allow for more arrangements and symmetries.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For the film’s score, Hardcastle reached out to Nathan Williams, the main singer-songwriter of the indie rock band Wavves, along with his producer Aaron Rubin, and the two worked on composing a soundtrack filled with stirring strings and harsh metallic screeches.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
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Musical duo Ajay–Atul are composing the score, while cinematographer Santosh Sivan is handling the visuals.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Congress is currently on recess until April 13, stalling further action to reopen the government.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Apr. 2026
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Checkpoints dotted the highway and at one point, his paperwork was rejected, stalling his progress.—
Salma Arafa,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Storms organizing to our west late Wednesday evening move into North Texas overnight.—
Michael Autovino,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Human beings have built homes in many different environments, settling the area and organizing it into units such as cities, states, regions, and countries, each with its own points of interest.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drawing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drawing%20up. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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