Skip to main content
to draw

to draw

3 9.9
Pull a person apart by tying their limbs to horses
  • verb
  • /drษ”/
  • NSFW
: desmembrar
  • I'll see you drawn and quartered!
  • drawn and quartered
  • hanged and drawn

Examples

  • Even here he's hung, drawn, and quartered for less than that.

  • They should be hung, drawn and quartered.

  • Have her drawn and quartered.

  • Suddenly, the boy drew a revolver and shot the German dead.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Perhaps after that, you can have me drawn and quartered.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Brandreth, Ludlam, and Turner were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Brothers and sisters... one week from now... in this very square... we shall, as a demonstration of our resolve... as a sure sign to those who attempt to threaten... our Party and our State... we shall execute publicly... the same number of Eastasian prisoners... by hanging, drawing and quartering.

  • You will be hanged, drawn and quartered for your crimes against the kingdom.

  • The law dictated that anyone convicted of treason must be drawn and quartered as punishment.

  • In history, many were drawn and quartered as a dire warning to others.

Synonyms

to draw and quarter
vsto draw
  • Offensive
5 9.9

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

is the historical form mainly used for literal execution not figurative punishment
to quarter
vsto draw
  • Offensive
5 9.9

To kill someone by tying each limb to a horse and pulling them apart

is the historical term for that exact method of execution

Idioms

to draw the line
  • Informal
80 4.1

Set a clear limit on what you will accept

To set a clear limit that must not be crossed

luck of the draw
  • Informal
9 4.8

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

6 6.2

To be chosen by chance to do an unpleasant task

5 9.9

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

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 breathe for the last time before you die

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

To make people notice something or someone

111 3.7

To prepare and write official papers such as contracts or wills

56 3.6

Attract people or attention

49 3.8

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

to draw blood
  • Offensive
47 4.6

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

42 4.1

To move backwards away from something because of fear or surprise

Set a clear limit on what is acceptable

30 3.7

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

30 2.6

To move closer in place or time

26 3.8

Help a quiet person speak more in a group

22 2.9

Move nearer to someone or something

21 4.0

Make a conversation or event last longer than usual

Attract many people to watch or listen

To make people feel united by a shared goal or feeling

12 3.2

Pull someone toward yourself to comfort or protect them

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

9 4.0

Pull air into the lungs or small things into a machine

to draw a blank
  • Informal
8 4.5

Fail to remember something when you try to think of it

8 6.7

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

Get creative ideas or motivation from something

8 3.9

To straighten the body to stand taller

6 3.9

Move something toward the centre

To close a curtain by pulling it across a window

3 4.3

Move closer to surround something

3 4.2

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

to draw up
  • Jargon
3 4.1

To arrange people into a line or formation

2 4.6

Curl the body inward because of cold or fear

2 3.6

To stop a vehicle at a place

2 8.8

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

1 4.9

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

1 4.2

Make your score or position the same as another person

To attract many people to watch a show or event

1 4.3

Arrive at a station

1 4.6

To move ahead of others in a race or competition

to draw rein
  • Literature
1 8.4

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

Pay close attention to a person, goal, or problem

to draw back
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

Compounds

1 3.0

A place or event that attracts many visitors

draw play
  • Jargon
1 6.2

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

1 4.2

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

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Draw in the historical sense of being torn apart comes from the plain old word 'to pull', and people were literally 'drawn' by being pulled in opposite directions.