draft

[draft, drahft] /dræft, drɑft/
noun
1.
a drawing, sketch, or design.
2.
a first or preliminary form of any writing, subject to revision, copying, etc.
3.
act of drawing; delineation.
4.
a current of air in any enclosed space, especially in a room, chimney, or stove.
5.
a current of air moving in an upward or downward direction.
6.
a device for regulating the current of air in a stove, fireplace, etc.
7.
an act of drawing or pulling loads.
8.
something that is drawn or pulled; a haul.
9.
an animal or team of animals used to pull a load.
10.
the force required to pull a load.
11.
the taking of supplies, forces, money, etc., from a given source.
12.
a selection or drawing of persons, by lot or otherwise, from the general body of the people for military service; levy; conscription.
13.
the persons so selected.
14.
Sports. a selecting or drawing of new players from a choice group of amateur players by professional teams, especially a system of selecting new players so that each team in a professional league receives some of the most promising players.
15.
British. a selection of persons already in military service to be sent from one post or organization to another; detachment.
16.
a written order drawn by one person upon another; a writing directing the payment of money on account of the drawer; bill of exchange.
17.
a drain or demand made on anything.
18.
draft beer.
19.
an act of drinking or inhaling.
20.
something that is taken in by drinking or inhaling; a drink; dose.
21.
a quantity of fish caught.
22.
Nautical. the depth to which a vessel is immersed when bearing a given load.
23.
Also called leave. Metallurgy. the slight taper given to a pattern so that it may be drawn from the sand without injury to the mold.
24.
Metalworking.
  1. the change in sectional area of a piece of work caused by a rolling or drawing operation.
  2. a taper on a die or punch permitting it to be withdrawn readily from the work.
25.
Masonry. a line or border chiseled at the edge of a stone, to serve as a guide in leveling the surfaces.
26.
Textiles.
  1. the degree of attenuation produced in fibers during yarn processing, expressed either by the ratio of the weight of raw to the weight of processed fiber, or by the ratio between the varying surface speeds of the rollers on the carding machine.
  2. the act of attenuating the fibers.
27.
an allowance granted to a buyer for waste of goods sold by weight.
verb (used with object)
28.
to draw the outlines or plan of; sketch.
29.
to draw up in written form; compose.
30.
to draw or pull.
31.
to take or select by draft, especially for military service.
32.
Masonry. to cut a draft on.
verb (used without object)
33.
to do drafting; work as a draftsman.
34.
(in an automobile race) to drive or ride close behind another car so as to benefit from the reduction in air pressure created behind the car ahead.
adjective
35.
used or suited for drawing loads:
a draft horse.
36.
drawn or available to be drawn from a cask rather than served from a sealed bottle:
draft ale.
37.
being a tentative or preliminary outline, version, design, or sketch.
Idioms
38.
on draft, available to be drawn from a cask rather than from a sealed bottle:
imported beer on draft.
Also, especially British, draught (for defs 1, 3–10, 18–25, 28-33, 35-38).
Origin
later spelling of draught (since 16th century)
Related forms
draftable, adjective
drafter, noun
antidraft, adjective
predraft, noun, verb (used with object)
redraft, verb (used with object)
undraftable, adjective
undrafted, adjective
Can be confused
draft, draught.
Examples from the web for draft
  • The current draft revisions include a plan to make pupils more patriotic.
  • Rather than go back to a military draft, we're more likely to see the further privatization of war.
  • Editing a mess is much easier than grunting out the first draft.
  • America's founding fathers met in Philadelphia to draft their constitution.
  • This publication is a draft.
  • Jefferson, who enjoyed a reputation as a facile writer, was asked to draft the document.
  • Now they are inviting comments on their draft, with a view to rewriting it one last time in mid-September.
  • Also she encouraged me to draft out a time outline and kindly offered to oversee the rest of the project.
  • The gear or tackle, other than a yoke, with which a draft animal pulls a vehicle or implement.
  • Any pilot can tell them that rain falls after an up draft collapses and becomes a down draft.
British Dictionary definitions for draft

draft

/drɑːft/
noun
1.
a plan, sketch, or drawing of something
2.
a preliminary outline of a book, speech, etc
3.
another word for bill of exchange
4.
a demand or drain on something
5.
the divergent duct leading from a water turbine to its tailrace
6.
(US) selection for compulsory military service
7.
detachment of military personnel from one unit to another
8.
(commerce) an allowance on merchandise sold by weight
9.
a line or narrow border that is chiselled on the surface of a stone to serve as a guide for levelling it
10.
(Austral & NZ) a group of livestock separated from the rest of the herd or flock
verb (transitive)
11.
to draw up an outline or sketch for something: to draft a speech
12.
to prepare a plan or design of
13.
to detach (military personnel) from one unit to another
14.
(mainly US) to select for compulsory military service
15.
to chisel a draft on (stone, etc)
16.
(Austral & NZ)
  1. to select (cattle or sheep) from a herd or flock
  2. to select (farm stock) for sale
noun, verb
17.
the usual US spelling of draught (sense 1), draught (sense 2), draught (sense 3), draught (sense 4), draught (sense 5), draught (sense 6), draught (sense 7), draught (sense 8), draught (sense 11)
Derived Forms
drafter, noun
Word Origin
C16: variant of draught

draught

/drɑːft/
noun
1.
a current of air, esp one intruding into an enclosed space
2.
  1. the act of pulling a load, as by a vehicle or animal
  2. (as modifier): a draught horse
3.
the load or quantity drawn
4.
a portion of liquid to be drunk, esp a dose of medicine
5.
the act or an instance of drinking; a gulp or swallow
6.
the act or process of drawing air, smoke, etc, into the lungs
7.
the amount of air, smoke, etc, inhaled in one breath
8.
  1. beer, wine, etc, stored in bulk, esp in a cask, as opposed to being bottled
  2. (as modifier): draught beer
  3. on draught, drawn from a cask or keg
9.
Also called draughtsman. any one of the 12 flat thick discs used by each player in the game of draughts US and Canadian equivalent checker
10.
the depth of a loaded vessel in the water, taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull
11.
feel the draught, to be short of money
See also draughts
Derived Forms
draughter, (US) drafter, noun
Word Origin
C14: probably from Old Norse drahtr, of Germanic origin; related to draw
Word Origin and History for draft
n.

c.1500, spelling variant of draught (q.v.) to reflect change in pronunciation. Among the senses that have gone with this form of the word in American English, the meaning "rough copy of a writing" (something "drawn") is attested from 14c.; that of "preliminary sketch from which a final copy is made" is from 1520s; that of "flow of a current of air" is from c.1770. Of beer from the 1830s, in reference to the method of "drawing" it from the cask. Sense in bank draft is from 1745. The meaning "a drawing off a group for special duty" is from 1703, in U.S. especially of military service; the verb in this sense first recorded 1714. Related: Drafted; drafting.

draft in Medicine

draft (drāft)
n.
A measured portion of a liquid or aerosol medication; a dose.

draft in Culture

draft definition


A preliminary version of a book, speech, essay, or outline.

draft definition


A system for selecting young men for compulsory military service, administered in the United States by the Selective Service System. At present the United States relies on a volunteer military and does not have a draft, though young men are required by law to register with the Selective Service. (See also conscientious objector and draft dodger.)

Slang definitions & phrases for draft

draft

verb

To drive close behind a vehicle so as to be drawn by reduced air pressure: The point person takes on the wind, allowing those behind him to draft and save as much as 20% of their energy (1970s+ Car racing)

Related Terms

feel a draft