draw out

verb

drew out; drawn out; drawing out; draws out

transitive verb

1
2
: to extend beyond a minimum in time : protract sense 1
3
: to cause to speak freely
a reporter's ability to draw a person out

Examples of draw out in a Sentence

the actor refused to draw out the interview any further
Recent Examples on the Web The 40-year resident of Tahoe’s north shore garnered 49% of the early returns, well ahead of Wayne Nader (25%) and outgoing Supervisor Jim Holmes (19%), who was drawn out of his seat in the latest redistricting update. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 Marcus elected to run for state commissioner of insurance after she was drawn out of her district during redistricting. Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 Some lawmakers may retire, and others may have been drawn out of their districts. Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 The dream allowed Freud to draw out the double meaning of nymphae, signifying both mythological sprites and also, evidently, the labia minora. Anna Shechtman, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 The Education Department has been drawing out the process of notifying those borrowers. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 19 Jan. 2024 Chief Critics Trump critics broadly criticized the Supreme Court Wednesday for delivering the ex-president a win by drawing out the immunity dispute and playing into Trump’s effort to delay his trial. Alison Durkee, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The narrative is drawn out — just the scenes in space could occupy the whole of a feature film — and the pace is what many will think of as slow. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The seat is open because incumbent Natasha Marcus, who was drawn out of the district, is running for N.C. insurance commissioner. Charlotte Observer, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'draw out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of draw out was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near draw out

Cite this Entry

“Draw out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draw%20out. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

draw out

verb
1
: to cause to last longer than usual
2
: to cause or encourage to speak freely
tried to draw the shy child out

More from Merriam-Webster on draw out

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