"draw" Definition

Definitions for the word "draw" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. v.
(past drew; past part. Drawn) 1 pull or cause to move towards or after one. 2 pull (a thing) up, over, or across. 3 pull (curtains etc.) Open or shut. 4 take (a person) aside. 5 attract; bring; take in (drew a deep breath; felt drawn to her; drew my attention; drew a crowd). 6 (foll. By at, on) inhale from (a cigarette, pipe, etc.). 7 (also absol.) Take out; remove (a tooth, gun, cork, card, etc.). 8 obtain or take from a source (draw a salary; draw inspiration; drew £100 out). 9 a (also absol.) Make (a line or mark). B produce (a picture) thus. C represent (something) thus. 10 (also absol.) Finish (a contest or game) with equal scores. 11 proceed (drew near the bridge; draw to a close; drew level). 12 infer (a conclusion).
Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 1884
2. slang
used in several senses:—1, of a theatre, new piece or exhibition, when it attracts the public and succeeds; 2, to induce—as, “DRAW him on;” 3, of pocket-picking—as, “DRAW his wipe,” “DRAW his ticker.” In sporting parlance it is used with an ellipsis of “trigger,” “I DREW on it as it rose.” In America to “DRAW on a man” is to produce knife or pistol, and to use it as well. Where lethal weapons are used in the States, no man raises his weapon till he means to use it, and a celebrated American writer has recently given a dissertation on the relative advantages of cocking and firing a pistol by an almost simultaneous action as it is raised, and of cocking as the instrument is raised, and of then dropping the muzzle slightly as the trigger is pulled. The former way is more speedy, the latter more effective. “Come, DRAW it mild!” _i.e._, don’t exaggerate; opposite of “come it strong,” from the phraseology of the bar (of a “public”), where customers desire the beer to be “drawn mild.”
Source: The Slang Dictionary, 1864

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This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "draw" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "draw" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

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