draft
UK /dɹɑːft/ · US /dɹæft/ noun, verb, adjective
Forms drafts drafting drafted draught
- noun A current of air, usually coming into a room or vehicle.
- noun The draw through a flue of gasses or smoke resulting from a combustion process.
- noun An act of drinking.
- noun The quantity of liquid (such as water, alcohol, or medicine) drunk in one swallow. “to drink at a draft”
- noun A dose (of medicine, alcohol, etc.).
- noun Liquid, especially beer or other alcohol, drawn from a cask or keg rather than a bottle or can.
- noun (nautical) The depth of water needed to float a particular ship; the depth from the waterline to the bottom of a vessel's hull; the depth of water drawn by a vessel.
- noun A version of a written work (such as a book or paper) or drawing. “I have to revise the first draft of my term paper.”
- verb (transitive) To write a first version; to make a preliminary sketch.
- verb To draw in outline; to make a draught, sketch, or plan of, as in architectural and mechanical drawing.
- verb To write a law.
- verb To select (someone or something) for a particular role or purpose. “There was a campaign to draft Smith to run for President.”
- verb (transitive, US) To conscript (a person); to force (a person) to serve in some capacity, especially in the military. “He was drafted during the Vietnam War.”
- verb To select and separate an animal or animals from a group. “The calves were drafted from the cows.”
- verb (transitive, sports, US) To select a rookie player onto a professional sports team. “After his last year of college football, he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To follow very closely (behind another vehicle), thereby providing an aerodynamic advantage to both lead and follower and conserving energy or increasing speed.
- adjective (not comparable) Referring to drinks on tap, in contrast to bottled. “I'd rather have a fresh, cheap draft beer.”
- adjective Referring to animals used for pulling heavy loads. “A Clydesdale is a draft horse.”
Synonyms
swig slipstream bill of exchange order of payment draught rough drawing potation tipple draft copy conscription muster selective service gulp drawing outline enlist muster in blueprint
Etymology
A phonetic spelling of draught (compare laughter), from Middle English draught, draght (“that which is pulled; that which is drawn up, a design”), from Old English *dreaht, *dræht, from Proto-West Germanic *drahti, *drahtu, from Proto-Germanic *drahtuz (“a pulling, drawing”). Cognate with Dutch dracht, German Tracht, Icelandic dráttur. By surface analysis, draw + -t.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “draft”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details