draw up

verb

drew up; drawn up; drawing up; draws up

transitive verb

1

: to bring (a body of troops) into array

2

: to prepare a draft or version of

draw up plans

3

: to bring to a halt

4

: to straighten (oneself) to an erect posture especially as an assertion of dignity or resentment

intransitive verb

: to come to a halt

the car drew up at the door

Synonyms

• arrest
• bring up
• catch
• check
• fetch up
• halt
• hold up
• pull up
• stall
• stay
• still
• stop

Examples of draw up in a Sentence

he drew up his horse outside the tavern

drew up the troops into a line along the ridge

Recent Examples on the Web

The music, lyrics and vocals are all on point, as Eilish does an excellent job drawing up an image for the listeners. —David Wysong, The Enquirer, 17 May 2024

After drawing up a plan for 20 hires this year by the city administration, the head of the municipal personnel department plugged it into the Balancer — a website run by the government of the Balkan nation of North Macedonia. —Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 15 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

draw up

verb

1

: to arrange (as troops) in order

2

: to prepare a draft or version of

draw up plans

3

: to straighten (oneself) to an erect posture

drew himself up angrily and left the room

4

: to bring or come to a stop

the car drew up at the door