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Glite Dictionary
👐 To remove 🏃 To move ahead
to draw away

to draw away

1 4.6
To move ahead of others in a race or competition
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : distanciarse
  • She steadily improved her position between horses through three-quarters in 1:13.15, and she struck the lead coming off the turn to draw away under three judicious strokes of the right-handed stick for a mile in 1:36.48.
  • drew away to win

Examples

  • As the runners approached the final stretch, Jake managed to draw away from the pack and clinched the victory.

  • And Ralphie instinctively wanted to draw away.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • She marvels at his power to pull her—even as, with one gentle motion, she begins to draw away.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The sophomore daughter of Smart Strike carried a top weight of 120 pounds against 11 others in the 1 1/16-mile turf event, but nevertheless dominated her competition, drawing away to win her third graded stakes of 2012 by two lengths.

    Blog text (15)

  • In the last lap of the race, the champion horse began to draw away from the other competitors, securing a clear lead.

  • With just a few minutes left in the competition, Maria started to draw away from her rivals, showcasing her exceptional skills.

Synonyms

to get ahead
vsto draw away
83 3.4

Do better than others, for example at work or school

focuses specifically on moving in front during a race or contest
to pull ahead
vsto draw away
9 3.4

To move into a leading position in a race or competition

is the general act of moving in front without stressing quickness
to distance
vsto draw away
3 6.2

To move ahead of others in a race or competition

is the basic action of getting in front without extra detail
to outdistance
vsto draw away
2 6.7

Get much farther ahead of other people in a race or competition

involves moving in front but not necessarily making a big gap
to outcompete
vsto draw away
2 6.1

To do better than someone or something and win

centres on physical movement ahead rather than overall superior performance
to outrace
vsto draw away
2 4.2

To move or run faster than someone in a race

is about moving in front, not only relying on greater speed
to outsprint
vsto draw away
4.8

Move or act faster than other people to gain an advantage

describes moving in front generally rather than a sudden sprint

Antonyms

to fall behind
2 3.5

To move back when others move forward

How Far

to draw away
1 4.6
to leave behind
604 2.6
to keep step
1 3.2

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

draw + away

The meaning 'to remove something by pulling it away' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'draw' (to pull/extract) with 'away' (movement to another location). This follows a regular English phrasal-verb composition pattern (verb + particle) that a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer.

Etymology

Draw away may come from the picture of a runner or horse that draws forward and moves away from the pack. So it now means 'to move ahead of competitors'.