9 Phrasal Verbs with “Draw”

Hello English learners! In this lesson, you will learn 9 useful phrasal verbs with draw, together with their meanings, usage notes and natural example sentences.

The verb draw does much more than describe making a picture with a pencil. It appears in several useful phrasal verbs and expressions that can help us talk about time, experience, people, documents, movement and difficult situations. 

You may have heard someone say that the evenings are drawing in, that a lawyer drew up a contract, or that a speaker drew on years of experience. These expressions are common in both everyday and more formal English.

1. Draw in

Meaning 1: when the days or evenings become shorter as autumn or winter approaches.

• The evenings are beginning to draw in.
• Once the days draw in, I tend to spend more time indoors.

This use is particularly common in British English.

Meaning 2: to arrive and stop, especially when talking about a train.

• The train drew in to the station a few minutes late.
• We were waiting on the platform when the express train drew in.

Meaning 3: to attract people or attention.

• The exhibition drew in thousands of visitors.
• The special offer helped draw in new customers.

2. Draw on / Draw upon

Meaning: to use knowledge, experience, money or another resource that is available to you.

• She drew on her teaching experience when answering the question.
• The writer drew upon events from his childhood when creating the story.
• We had to draw on our savings to pay for the repairs.

Draw upon has the same meaning as draw on, but it can sound slightly more formal.

Common combinations:

• draw on experience
• draw on knowledge
• draw on resources
• draw on savings

3. Draw out

Meaning: to make something continue for longer than necessary or expected.

• The discussion was drawn out for nearly two hours.
• There is no need to draw out the meeting if everyone agrees.

You will often see the adjective drawn-out:

• It was a long and drawn-out negotiation.
• Nobody wanted another drawn-out argument.

4. Draw someone out

Meaning: to encourage someone who is quiet or shy to talk more openly.

• The interviewer was very good at drawing people out.
• It took a while to draw him out, but eventually he started talking about his experience.
• A good teacher knows how to draw out quieter students.

This is a useful expression when talking about conversations, teaching and interviews.

5. Draw someone into something

Meaning: to involve someone in a situation or activity, often without them wanting to become involved.

• Please don’t draw me into your argument.
• She found herself drawn into a dispute between two colleagues.
• I don’t want to be drawn into office politics.

This expression is often used when the situation is complicated, unpleasant or controversial.

6. Draw back

Meaning 1: to move backwards, especially because you are surprised, frightened or uncertain.

• She drew back when she saw the dog running towards her.
• He instinctively drew back from the edge of the cliff.

Meaning 2: to decide not to do something because you are worried or uncertain.

• The company drew back from making such a risky investment.
• At the last moment, he drew back from the agreement.

7. Draw up

Meaning: to prepare a document, list, plan or agreement carefully, especially in a formal situation.

• The lawyer drew up a new contract.
• We need to draw up a list of possible candidates.
• The committee has drawn up a detailed plan for the project.

Common combinations:

• draw up a contract
• draw up a plan
• draw up a list
• draw up an agreement
• draw up guidelines

This is particularly useful in business and formal English.

8. Draw up

Meaning: when a vehicle comes to a stop beside or in front of a place.

• A taxi drew up outside the hotel.
• We were waiting at the entrance when a black car drew up.
• The bus drew up beside the pavement.

Although the form is the same as draw up a contract, the meaning is completely different and is understood from the context.

9. Draw yourself up

Meaning: to stand very straight, usually because you want to appear confident, proud or determined.

• She drew herself up and looked him straight in the eye.
• He drew himself up to his full height before answering.
• She drew herself up proudly and walked into the room.

This expression is often used in stories and descriptions of body language.

Commonly Confused Expressions

Draw on vs Draw out

Draw on means to use something you already have:

• She drew on her experience.

Draw out means to make something last longer:

• The discussion dragged on because it was drawn out unnecessarily.

It can also mean encouraging somebody to talk:

• The teacher drew him out by asking about his hobbies.

Draw up vs Draw in

Draw up can mean preparing something formally:

• They drew up a contract.

It can also describe a vehicle stopping:

• A car drew up outside.

Draw in can describe shorter autumn or winter evenings:

• The evenings are drawing in.

It can also mean attracting people:

• The festival drew in large crowds.

Preparing for C1 Advanced?

Phrasal verbs, collocations and fixed expressions are an important part of the C1 Advanced Use of English paper.

If you would like more structured exam practice, my C1 Advanced Use of English Complete Collection includes hundreds of questions covering multiple-choice cloze, open cloze and key word transformations, with answers included.

Phrasal verbs with draw appear in a surprisingly wide range of situations. You can draw on your experience, draw up a plan, draw someone out in conversation or find yourself drawn into an argument.

The best way to remember phrasal verbs with draw is to learn them in complete phrases and realistic situations.

Choose three or four expressions from this lesson and try writing your own sentences with them. That will make them much easier to remember and use naturally.

Related posts: 

• Phrasal Verbs for University Life 
• Phrasal Verbs about Work 
• How to Learn 10 Phrasal Verbs a Week 
• 100 Phrasal Verbs + Free Practice Workbook
• Common Phrasal Verbs for B2 First