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Glite Dictionary
📝 To write formally 🚕 To stop a vehicle 🪖 To arrange in order 🧍 To stand tall
to draw up

to draw up

1 3.9
To straighten the body to stand taller
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɔː ʌp/
translation icon : enderezarse
  • Isn't that what you meant to say?" She drew up taller in her seat.

Examples

  • "Now, then, as for Callista," he went on, drawing up stools for Lucian and himself while Fronto thrust his head over Lucian's shoulder, "let's do a little reckoning."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • After receiving the award, Clara drew up proudly, her head held high.

  • Shaking, drawing up all his strength, he assumed as straight a posture as possible, put his right foot forward, and entered the blue building.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • She drew up her spine, presenting herself with confidence during the interview.

  • As the audience applauded, he drew up to his full height, basking in the praise.

Synonyms

to straighten
vsto draw up
114 2.5

Make something straight and in the right position

applies specifically to adopting a proud erect human posture not objects
to pull up
vsto draw up
50 3.0

To stand or sit up straight to look more confident

shows pride or authority rather than mere confidence
to straighten up
vsto draw up
15 1.6

Sit or stand so your back and shoulders are straight

is used to project pride or authority rather than a simple posture change

Antonyms

to cower
41 6.1

To bend down or move back because you are afraid

to slouch
22 4.6

To sit, stand, or walk with the shoulders and head bent forward in a lazy way

How Upright

to stand
∞ 1.0
to draw up
1 3.9
to sit up
126 1.0
to slouch
22 4.6

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

draw + up

The meaning 'to straighten oneself to an erect posture' follows directly from combining 'draw' in the bodily sense 'to pull' with the directional particle 'up' (pull upwards), so a B1 learner who knows those constituent senses can infer the MWE. If a learner only knows the given sense of 'draw' as 'draft/compose', the connection is less clear, but the physical 'pull up' reading is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so overall the expression is compositional.

Etymology

Draw up (to straighten oneself) comes from the image of pulling your body up to full height, like you 'draw' yourself up when you want to look proud or ready. So to draw up means 'to stand or sit up' straight.