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to draw

to draw

15 8.4
Become smaller after washing or heat
  • verb
  • /drษ”/
translation icon : encoger
  • The shades were half-drawn; a ripple of water was reflected on the wall.

Examples

  • After washing the sweater several times, it began to draw and no longer fit properly.

  • The woman sat with her knees drawn to her chest, her baby propped against her shins.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • She's a child with a stick drawing pictures in the dirt.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • She'd gotten up before dawn to draw the blinds at the windows.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Blinds had been drawn over its windows; some of its clapboards were hanging loose.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • When exposed to heat, the fabric will draw and become tighter around the seams.

  • If you wash this cotton shirt in hot water, it is likely to draw significantly.

Synonyms

to shrink
vsto draw
95 1.8

Become smaller after washing or heating

is limited to fabrics and materials that reduce size after washing or heat

Antonyms

805 2.5

To grow larger in size, amount, or importance

285 1.0

Make something longer or wider by pulling it

Idioms

to draw the line
  • Informal
82 4.1

Set a clear limit on what you will accept

To set a clear limit that must not be crossed

6 6.2

To be chosen by chance to do an unpleasant task

4 9.9

To kill someone by tying limbs to four horses and pulling them apart, or to punish very harshly

luck of the draw
  • Informal
3 4.8

A result that depends only on chance, like drawing names from a hat

To breathe for the last time before you die

Able to respond quickly under pressure

1 9.9

To threaten or kill someone by hanging, cutting their body open and dividing it into four parts

To follow a steady plan and not get distracted

To end up by chance with an unpleasant task or in a worse position

Phrasal Verbs

97 3.7

To prepare and write official papers such as contracts or wills

To make people notice something or someone

to draw blood
  • Offensive
38 4.6

To take blood for testing or to cause harm in an argument

18 2.6

To move closer in place or time

18 3.8

Remove something from where it is, for example a nail or a secret

12 3.8

Help a quiet person speak more in a group

Attract many people to watch or listen

9 4.0

Make a conversation or event last longer than usual

Set a clear limit on what is acceptable

8 3.6

Attract people or attention

Move nearer to someone or something

7 3.7

To pull something away from where it is, for example a bandage or curtain

Point out similarities between two or more things to show how they are alike

to draw a blank
  • Informal
7 4.5

Fail to remember something when you try to think of it

6 4.0

Pull air into the lungs or small things into a machine

Get creative ideas or motivation from something

5 3.6

To stop a vehicle at a place

Pull someone toward yourself to comfort or protect them

4 4.1

To move backwards away from something because of fear or surprise

4 6.7

To attract criticism and angry reactions for what you say or do

to draw up
  • Jargon
2 4.1

To arrange people into a line or formation

To close a curtain by pulling it across a window

1 4.6

Curl the body inward because of cold or fear

To make people feel united by a shared goal or feeling

1 3.9

Move something toward the centre

1 4.3

Move closer to surround something

1 4.9

To take liquid from a container by pouring or draining for testing

1 3.9

To straighten the body to stand taller

1 4.6

To move ahead of others in a race or competition

to draw back
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To pull tissue or skin to the side to hold a wound open during surgery

1 4.2

Make your score or position the same as another person

1 8.8

Aim a gun carefully at someone or something to be ready to shoot

To attract many people to watch a show or event

1 4.2

To pull something away carefully, for example a bandage or tablecloth

Pay close attention to a person, goal, or problem

Arrive at a station

to draw rein
  • Literature
8.4

To stop or slow progress by controlling it, like a rider pulling the straps that guide a horse

Compounds

draw play
  • Jargon
1 6.2

A football play where the quarterback fakes a pass then hands the ball to a running back

1 3.0

A place or event that attracts many visitors

1 4.2

A type of poker where players discard some cards and get new ones to improve their hand

How Small

to shrivel
54 4.4
to draw
15 8.4
to contract
52 3.0

Surface Forms

draw infinitive
drawing present participle
draws third person singular
drew past
drawn past participle

Etymology

Draw meaning to shrink in fabric comes from the older sense 'to pull in', so when cloth draws it 'pulls' tighter or becomes smaller.