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
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Like Wright’s past games, this one would be about tinkering, about trial and error, about classifying and reclassifying and watching as one’s psyche-map changed.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
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That includes House Bill 1117, which would require Maryland Medicaid and other state programs to cover monitoring devices by classifying them as medical equipment for individuals at higher risk of elopement.—
Danielle J. Brown,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The process involved preparing documents showing proof of employment or family ties that signal an applicant isn’t likely to overstay their visa.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
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In the face of this uncertainty, companies and other organizations are preparing for a world in which the conflict — and subsequent jolt to crude prices — becomes a long-term challenge, affecting everything from travel planning to mail delivery.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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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But arranging spheres becomes significantly more complex in higher dimensions, which allow for more arrangements and symmetries.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
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Unbeknownst to Audrey, her cousin had secretly coordinated with several of her closest friends, arranging surprise appearances on the plane and at their destination.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The video depicted fingers on a MIDI keyboard, turning knobs, pushing buttons and supposedly composing the song in real time.—
Sam Davies,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
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The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For their part, House Republicans didn’t want the governor to be able to hand-pick the inspector general and objected to the changes in Norris’s bill and accused DFLers of stalling on fraud.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
26 Mar. 2026
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European leaders have accused Putin of stalling in peace efforts while his army tries to capture more Ukrainian land.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He and Mason envision using the app in conjunction with a sports property, like organizing nationwide college tournaments for World Pong without the cost of dispatching operators to each location.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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That’s a song about a heavy topic — organizing an intervention for one of your best friends.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drawing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drawing%20up. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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