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Glite Dictionary
🧲 To attract people 😮‍💨 To inhale 🦵 To curl up 🎣 To pull inward 🔄 To approach closely 🚆 To arrive
to draw in

to draw in

6 4.0
Pull air into the lungs or small things into a machine
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɔ ɪn/
translation icon : aspirar
  • I took a deep breath, counting eight as I drew in air.
  • draw in a breath
  • draw in a deep breath
  • draw in air

Well, your face is completely covered in this cloth and you're like, you can't draw in air.

Examples

  • Now, there's a fan here in the front which draws in air.

    The Sound Barrier (1952)

  • Bosch heard Edgar draw in a breath and hold it.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • See that fan drawing in fresh air and then doing what with it?

  • Mr. Inverness sat down, his shocked mouth wide open, unable to draw in air.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Will we have a bountiful hunt today?" Ipa closed her eyes and drew in a long, deep breath.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • At the sight of Caidrun's face, Tamborel drew in his breath.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • He drew in a deep breath before diving into the pool.

  • The vacuum cleaner draws in dust and dirt from the floor.

  • As the storm approached, she could feel the wind drawing in the cool air.

Synonyms

to pull
vsto draw in
∞ 1.0

To move something toward you using force, often to remove it

is inward movement by suction or taking in air rather than by force
to suck
vsto draw in
337 1.0

To pull liquid into the mouth, for example with a straw

is the general inward action by suction or by taking in air
to draw
vsto draw in
270 1.0

Pull something out of a place or container

is the inward suction action rather than removing something from a place
to retract
vsto draw in
25 5.6

To pull something back so it is no longer sticking out

is an inward suction movement, not a backward withdrawal
to suck in
vsto draw in
13 3.7

To pull air or liquid into something by making an empty space inside

is the broader suction action not limited to partial vacuum use
to drag
vsto draw in
12 8.1

To breathe in air or smoke strongly

is a general inward motion not necessarily forceful or by inhaling

Antonyms

to push out
16 3.2

To move something outward using force

How Inward

to suck in
13 3.7
to draw in
6 4.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

draw + in

The meaning 'to attract or engage' is directly derivable from combining 'draw' (to pull/attract) with the directional particle 'in' (toward/into): together they yield the sense 'pull in' or 'bring in' people/attention. This verb+particle composition follows a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Draw in comes from the picture of pulling air or smells toward you or of a machine sucking things up: draw 'pull' and in 'toward you', like breathing in a scent or a vacuum cleaner taking in dust. So it means 'to pull in by taking in air or by suction'.