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Glite Dictionary
👣 To approach 🧥 To pull nearer
to draw close

to draw close

8 2.9
Move nearer to someone or something
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɔ kloʊs/
translation icon : acercarse
  • By this point, I never thought about Miami anymore, even as we drew closer to it.

So I follow up with the HR department and said, hey, we're drawing close to this day.

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Examples

  • Yes, as we draw closer, it seems clear that his laugh is colder than before.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Having no idea of what she meant, I drew closer to her.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • If the two of them draw close to each other...

    The Nativity Story (2006)

  • I think we're we're drawing close to the end of the hour here, so maybe take one more question.

  • I took his hand after he told me that, and I drew closer to him.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The young woman looked up as she and Blue Shell Woman drew closer.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Even his father grew excited as they drew closer to the Rocky Mountains.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • "Well, here is Polly!" I drew closer to the cage and looked at the bird.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • As the newcomers drew closer, Dumont recognized one of them as Lond.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The children drew close to their parents as the storm approached.

Synonyms

to approach
vsto draw close
532 2.1

To move closer in space to a person or thing

has identical meaning but uses a different phrase form
to near
vsto draw close
115 1.0

Move closer to someone or something

expresses the same action but uses alternate wording
to get closer to
vsto draw close
105 1.9

Make progress toward finishing or achieving something

refers to physical coming nearer not progress toward goals
to come near
vsto draw close
56 1.8

To move closer in space or time

has the same meaning but can be phrased differently
to draw near
vsto draw close
18 2.6

To move closer in place or time

is equivalent but is a more neutral everyday expression
to draw in
vsto draw close
1 4.3

Move closer to surround something

means move nearer without aiming to surround or seize

Antonyms

to pull away
86 3.5

To move away from people or a place to create space

How Close

to draw close
8 2.9
to approach
532 2.1
to come close
72 2.9

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

draw + close

The meaning 'to pull someone or something toward oneself' is directly and compositionally derived from 'draw' (to pull) + 'close' (near), so a learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This motion/bringing-closer sense is a common and literal construction across languages and follows regular English verb + adjective/particle patterns, making it readily comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Draw close uses draw meaning 'to pull' and close meaning 'near', like pulling two things together so the space between them becomes smaller. So it now means 'to move nearer' or 'to approach'.