a portion of liquid for drinking; specif., a dose of medicine
b. Informal
a portion of beer, ale, etc. drawn from a cask
5.
a.
a drawing into the lungs, as of air or tobacco smoke
b.
the amount of air, smoke, etc., drawn in
6.
a rough or preliminary sketch of a piece of writing
7.
a plan or drawing of a work to be done
8.
a current of air, as in a room, heating system, etc.
9.
a device for regulating the current of air in a heating system
10.
a written order issued by one person, bank, firm, etc., directing the payment of money to another; check
11.
a demand or drain made on something
12.
a.
the choosing or taking of an individual or individuals from a group for some special purpose,esp. for compulsory military service
b.
the condition of being so taken
c. US
a group of these so taken
13. US
the demand made by a political party for a person to accept, sometimes reluctantly, a candidacy
14.
a.
the area of reduced air resistance behind a moving vehicle
b.
the act or instance of closely following a race car, truck, etc. to avoid wind resistance and conserve fuel
15. Business
a deduction allowed for waste or loss in weight
16. Hydraulics
the size of an opening for the flow of water
17. Masonry
a narrow strip along the edge or across the face of a stone, serving as a guide in leveling the surface
18. Mechanics
the taper given to a pattern or die so that the work can be removed easily
19. Nautical
the depth of water that a vessel draws, or needs in order to float, esp. when loaded
20. US, Sport
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 givingeach team a turn to select one player until each roster is full
verb transitive
21.
to choose or take for some special purpose, as compulsory military service, by drawingfrom a group
22. US
to persuade or compel (a person) to become a candidate for public office
23.
to make a preliminary sketch of or working plans for
24. Sport
to select (a player) during or in a draft (sense 20)
verb intransitive
25. US
to drive very closely behind another vehicle while racing, so as to take advantage of the reduced air resistance behind it
adjective
26.
used for pulling loads
draft animals
27.
drawn from a cask on order
draft beer
28.
in a preliminary or rough form
a draft resolution
Idioms:
on draft
Derived forms
draftable (ˈdraftable)
adjective
drafter (ˈdrafter)
noun
Word origin
ME draught, a drawing, pulling, stroke < base of OE dragan, draw
Examples of 'draft' in a sentence
draft
Apparently there were a lot more in the first draft before he objected.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It has already posted a first draft of a report on how transparency should be implemented on the data.
Computing (2010)
Experts say that the law is vaguely drafted and that allows retailers to claim internal costs as part of the fee.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The draft law could result in the army carrying out 20,000 extra security checks a year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Military police are looking into the claim, which surfaced in the draft of one of two books thathe is involved with.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If this wasn't what she meant, then her speech was badly drafted.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Animal rights groups welcomed the draft law.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
One is often drafted to another ward to cover sickness absence.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The assembly will have one year to draft a constitution.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There he drafted a speech with advisers and senior colleagues.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Some of their remaining holiday was devoted to drafting a plan of how their wedding might look.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
She would also draft redundancy letters for the senior management on his behalf.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Time and ambiguous drafting are the enemies of confidence.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The draft law forbids wearing clothes that cover the face in public.
The Sun (2010)
Those who do not want to serve can often find a reason to avoid the draft.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
All documents including shipping documents will normally be provided to the bank accepting the draft.
Maurice D. Levi International Finance: The markets and financial management of multinational business. (1983)
We send home that first rough draft of history.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Maybe it needs another draft to fulfil its promise.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Each local plan has been drafted by groups of nurses, doctors and health staff.
The Sun (2015)
He takes us through his 46 drafts of one to suggest otherwise.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
I was brought in to write two drafts.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
I worked on the first draft of this book for months.
Christianity Today (2000)
Then I write a draft from that.
The Sun (2013)
The Army was also drafted in to help mountain rescue teams, fire crews and police.
The Sun (2009)
The medal will go under the hammer too, with letters, drawings and early drafts.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
During the war, when men were drafted into military service, women joined the labor force by the millions.
Appelbaum, Richard P. Sociology (1995)
Under draft guidance that comes into force in September, schools will be required to bring together parents from different backgrounds.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
This draft guidance isn't about quick fixes, it is about ensuring lifestyle weight management services support people in the long term.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He crowded the midfield, encouraged his players to sit deep and drafted in specialist personnel to ensure there was no let-up in intensity.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
draft
British English: draft /drɑːft/ NOUN
A draft is an early version of a letter, book, or speech.
I emailed a first draft of the article to him.
American English: draft piece of writing
Arabic: مُسَوَّدَة
Brazilian Portuguese: rascunho
Chinese: 草稿
Croatian: nacrt
Czech: koncept pracovní verze
Danish: udkast
Dutch: ontwerp
European Spanish: borrador
Finnish: luonnos
French: brouillon
German: Entwurf
Greek: προσχέδιο
Italian: bozza
Japanese: 下書き
Korean: 초안
Norwegian: utkast
Polish: szkic
European Portuguese: rascunho
Romanian: schiță
Russian: проект
Latin American Spanish: borrador
Swedish: utkast
Thai: ตั๋วแลกเงิน
Turkish: taslak
Ukrainian: проект
Vietnamese: bản thảo
British English: draft VERB
When you draft a letter, book, or speech, you write the first version of it.
He drafted a standard letter to the editors.
American English: draft
Brazilian Portuguese: esboçar
Chinese: 起草
European Spanish: hacer un borrador de
French: faire le brouillon de
German: entwerfen
Italian: stendere la bozza di
Japanese: 起草する
Korean: 초고를 쓰다
European Portuguese: esboçar
Latin American Spanish: hacer un borrador de
All related terms of 'draft'
draught
A draught is a current of air that comes into a place in an undesirable way.
on draft
ready to be drawn directly from the cask
up-draft
an upward movement of air or other gas
bank draft
A bank draft is a cheque which you can buy from a bank in order to pay someone who is not willing to accept a personal cheque.
draft board
a tribunal responsible for the selection of personnel liable for compulsory military service
draft card
the card issued to men who registered for the draft
draft tube
A draft tube is a tube which is used in spouted beds to control the circulation of particles.
rough draft
a preliminary version of an essay , letter , book , or speech
time draft
a draft payable within a specified number of days after it is presented
draft dodger
A draft dodger is someone who avoids joining the armed forces when normally they would have to join.
draft letter
the first version of a letter
draft version
a preliminary version
banker's draft
A banker's draft is the same as a → bank draft .
draft proposals
A proposal is a plan or an idea, often a formal or written one, which is suggested for people to think about and decide upon.
skeleton draft
a basic or minimum draft or outline
updraught
an upward movement of air or other gas
draft-mule work
drudgery
sight bill
a bill of exchange that is payable on demand
draft-quality printing
low-quality , high-speed output in printed form from a printer linked to a word processor
demand bill
a bill of exchange that is payable on demand
foreign bill
a bill of exchange that is drawn in one country and made payable in another: used extensively in foreign trade
donkey work
If you do the donkey work , you do the hard work or the less interesting part of the work that needs to be done.
Chinese translation of 'draft'
draft
(drɑːft)
n
(c) (= first version) 草稿 (cǎogǎo) (份, fèn)
(c)[of bill]草案 (cǎo'àn) (个(個), gè)
(c) (= bank draft) 汇(匯)票 (huìpiào) (张(張), zhāng)
the draft (US, Mil) 征(徵)兵 (zhēngbīng)
英 = conscription
vt
[letter, book, speech]起草 (qǐcǎo)
(Mil)
to be drafted应(應)征(徵)入伍 (yìngzhēng rùwǔ)
to draft sb in (to do a job) 选(選)派某人 (xuǎnpài mǒurén) see alsodraught
draught
or (US) draft
(drɑːft)
n(c)
[of air]气(氣)流 (qìliú) (股, gǔ)
adj
[beer, bitter etc]散装(裝)的 (sǎnzhuāng de)
on draught[beer]散装(裝)的 (sǎnzhuāng de)
1 (noun)
Definition
a preliminary outline of a letter, book, or speech
I rewrote his first draft.
Synonyms
outline
an outline of a plan to reduce the country's national debt
plan
Draw a plan of the garden.
sketch
I had a basic sketch of a plan.
version
rough
Editors are always saying that the roughs are better.
abstract
If you want to submit a paper, you must supply an abstract.
blueprint
The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.
main points
delineation
His razor-sharp delineation of ordinary life.
preliminary form
2 (noun)
Definition
a written order for payment of money by a bank
The money was payable by a draft.
Synonyms
money order
bill (of exchange)
cheque
postal order
(verb)
Definition
to write a preliminary outline of a letter, book, or speech
He drafted a standard letter.
Synonyms
outline
The methods outlined in this book are only suggestions.
write
She wrote articles for magazines in Paris.
plan
I had been planning a trip to the West Coast.
produce
So far he has produced only one composition he deems suitable for performance.
create
He's creating a whole new language of painting.
design
They have designed a machine that is both attractive and practical.
draw
Draw a rough design for a logo.
frame
A convention was set up to frame a constitution.
compose
He started at once to compose a reply to her letter.
devise
We devised a scheme to help him.
sketch
I sketched the scene with my pen and paper.
draw up
formulate
He formulated his plan for escape.
contrive
The oil companies were accused of contriving a shortage of gasoline to justify price increases.
delineate
The relationship between Church and State was delineated in a formal agreement.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abstract
Definition
a summary
If you want to submit a paper, you must supply an abstract.
Synonyms
summary,
résumé,
outline,
extract,
essence,
summing-up,
digest,
epitome,
rundown,
condensation,
compendium,
synopsis,
précis,
recapitulation,
review,
abridgment
in the sense of blueprint
Definition
a photographic print of plans, technical drawings, etc. consisting of white lines on a blue background
The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.
Synonyms
plan,
scheme,
project,
pattern,
draft,
outline,
sketch,
layout
in the sense of compose
Definition
to create (a musical or literary work)
He started at once to compose a reply to her letter.