What does "drawing" mean?
A picture, likeness, diagram or representation, usually drawn on paper.
Drawing
/ˈdɹɔː.ɪŋ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A picture, likeness, diagram or representation, usually drawn on paper.
- Grammar: drawing is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: drafting, lottery, adductive, alluring.
- Useful contrasts: boring, delete, erase.
- Usage evidence: I'm busy because the finals are drawing on.
How to use "drawing"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "drawing" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "drawing" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "drawing" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "drawing" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "drawing" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "drafting" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "drawing", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A picture, likeness, diagram or representation, usually drawn on paper. countable, uncountable
"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 presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story."
- 2 the act of moving a load by drawing or pulling wordnet
- 3 The act of producing such a picture. uncountable
- 4 act of getting or draining something such as electricity or a liquid from a source wordnet
- 5 Such acts practiced as a graphic art form. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed by casting lots wordnet
- 7 The process of drawing or pulling something. countable, uncountable
"Proverb: An official is great in his office as a well is rich in drawings of water."
- 8 the creation of artistic pictures or diagrams wordnet
- 9 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. countable, uncountable
- 10 a representation of forms or objects on a surface by means of lines wordnet
- 11 A small portion of tea for steeping. countable, uncountable
"[…] the tea-kettle was presently steaming like an engine, and an extra large "drawing of tea" was steeping on the hearth."
- 12 an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper wordnet
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of draw form-of, gerund, participle, present
Example
"I'm busy because the finals are drawing on."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "drawing"?
Common synonyms include: drafting, lottery, adductive, alluring, alphabet, appealing.
How do you use "drawing" in a sentence?
I'm busy because the finals are drawing on.
How do you pronounce "drawing"?
Pronounced /ˈdɹɔː.ɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
From Middle English drauing, drawing, equivalent to draw + -ing.