Word.ws English Dictionary

drawing

/ˈdɹoː.ɹɪŋ/UK/ˈdɹɔː.ɪŋ/

drawing is the present participle and gerund of draw.

Noun

drawing (countable and uncountable, plural drawings)

  1. A picture, likeness, diagram or representation, usually drawn on paper.
    • Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for...2012 March, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 106
    • While you see some of our exploration on camera, I also spent many happy hours between shoots with Chris Nix, digging out dozens of wonderful plans, maps and drawings of projects that I never knew existed, and some that never did exist.2021 June 30, Tim Dunn, “How we made... Secrets of the London Underground”, in RAIL, number 934, page 50
  2. (uncountable) The act of producing such a picture.
  3. Such acts practiced as a graphic art form.
  4. The process of drawing or pulling something.
    • Proverb: An official is great in his office as a well is rich in drawings of water.
  5. An act or event in which the outcome (e.g., designating a winner) is selected by chance in the form of a blind draw, notably of lots; especially such a contest in which a winning name or number is selected randomly by removing (or drawing) it from a container, popularly a hat.
  6. A small portion of tea for steeping.
    • […] the tea-kettle was presently steaming like an engine, and an extra large "drawing of tea" was steeping on the hearth.1853, Alice Cary, Clovernook

Meaning of draw

Verb

draw (third-person singular simple present draws, present participle drawing, simple past drew, past participle drawn or (colloquial and nonstandard) drew)

  1. (formal, often, transitive) To pull (someone or something) in a particular direction or manner.
    • He drew a sheaf of papers from his bag.
    Synonyms:
    tug, yank, attract, hale, heave, lug, pull, schlep
  2. (transitive) To move (a body part) in a particular direction.
    • She settled in the window seat, drawing her leg up beneath her.
  3. (transitive) Often followed by tight: to pull (something, such as a belt or string) so that it tightens or wraps around something more closely.
    • She took a deep breath and drew her corset-strings.
  4. (transitive) To drag (something), especially along the ground.
    • Seals […] throw their bodies forward, drawing their hinder-parts after them.1697, William Dampier, A New Voyage Round the World. […], London: […] James Knapton, […], →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    hale, haul, drag, lug, schlep, tug
  5. (transitive) To pull (blinds, a curtain, etc.) open or closed.
    • She drew the curtains to let in the sunlight.
  6. (transitive) To pull out (a bolt or latch) to unlock a door, gate, etc.; also, to push in (a bolt or latch) to lock a door, gate, etc.

See all 156 meanings of draw

Forms of drawing

pluraldrawings
alternative formdwg

Origin of drawing

From Middle English drauinge, drawinge, alteration of earlier drawende, drawand, from Old English dragende, from Proto-Germanic *dragandz (“drawing”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *draganą (“to draw; pull”), equivalent to draw + -ing.

From Middle English drauing, drawing, equivalent to draw + -ing.

Words formed from drawing

Phrases with drawing

67 more phrasesFewer phrases

Questions about drawing

What does drawing mean?
Drawing means a picture, likeness, diagram or representation, usually drawn on paper.
What is drawing the present participle and gerund of?
Drawing is the present participle and gerund of draw.
What part of speech is drawing?
Drawing is a noun.
How do you pronounce drawing?
Drawing is pronounced /ˈdɹɔː.ɪŋ/ (UK).
What is the plural of drawing?
The plural of drawing is drawings.

Words near drawing in the dictionary

  1. drawhead
  2. drawheads
  3. drawhook
  4. drawhooks
  5. drawin'
  6. drawing
  7. drawing a bath
  8. drawing a bead on
  9. drawing a blank
  10. drawing a line
  11. drawing a line in the sand

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: drawing (page history and authors); draw (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-drawing.ogg.

Cite this entry: “drawing.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/drawing. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.