noun
- a drawing or pulling, as of a vehicle or load
- the thing, quantity, or load pulled
- a drawing in of a fish net
- the amount of fish caught in one draw
- a taking of liquid into the mouth; drinking
- the amount taken at one drink
- a portion of liquid for drinking; specif., a dose of medicine
- Informal a portion of beer, ale, etc. drawn from a cask
- a drawing into the lungs, as of air or tobacco smoke
- the amount of air, smoke, etc., drawn in
- a rough or preliminary sketch of a piece of writing
- a plan or drawing of a work to be done
- a current of air, as in a room, heating system, etc.
- a device for regulating the current of air in a heating system
- a written order issued by one person, bank, firm, etc., directing the payment of money to another; check
- a demand or drain made on something
- the choosing or taking of an individual or individuals from a group for some special purpose, esp. for compulsory military service
- the condition of being so taken
- ☆ a group of these so taken
- ☆ the demand made by a political party for a person to accept, sometimes reluctantly, a candidacy
- the area of reduced air resistance behind a moving vehicle
- the act or instance of closely following a race car, truck, etc. to avoid wind resistance and conserve fuel
- Commerce a deduction allowed for waste or loss in weight
- Hydraulics the size of an opening for the flow of water
- Masonry a narrow strip along the edge or across the face of a stone, serving as a guide in leveling the surface
- Mech. the taper given to a pattern or die so that the work can be removed easily
- Naut. the depth of water that a vessel draws, or needs in order to float, esp. when loaded
- ☆ Sports a system by which a league, as of professional teams, allots to each team the right to contract specified individuals in a group of players, esp. new players, usually by giving each team a turn to select one player until each roster is full
Origin:
ME draught, a drawing, pulling, stroke < base of OE dragan, draw
intransitive verb
☆ to drive very closely behind another vehicle while racing, so as to take advantage of the reduced air resistance behind it