Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A current of air in an enclosed area.
  • noun A device that regulates the flow or circulation of air.
  • noun The act of pulling loads; traction.
  • noun Something that is pulled or drawn; a load.
  • noun A team of animals used to pull loads.
  • noun Nautical The depth of a vessel's keel below the water line, especially when loaded.
  • noun A heavy demand on resources.
  • noun A written order directing the payment of money from an account or fund.
  • noun A gulp, swallow, or inhalation.
  • noun The amount taken in by a single act of drinking or inhaling.
  • noun A measured portion; a dose.
  • noun The drawing of a liquid, as from a cask or keg.
  • noun An amount drawn.
  • noun The process or method of selecting one or more individuals from a group, as for a service or duty.
  • noun Compulsory enrollment in the armed forces; conscription.
  • noun A body of people selected or conscripted.
  • noun Sports A system in which the exclusive rights to new players are distributed among professional teams.
  • noun The act of drawing in a fishing net.
  • noun The quantity of fish caught.
  • noun Any of various stages in the development of a plan, document, or picture.
  • noun A representation of something to be constructed.
  • noun A narrow line chiseled on a stone to guide a stonecutter in leveling its surface.
  • noun A slight taper given a die to facilitate the removal of a casting.
  • noun An allowance made for loss in weight of merchandise.
  • intransitive verb To select from a group for some usually compulsory service.
  • intransitive verb To select from a group for placement on a sports team.
  • intransitive verb To draw up a preliminary version of or plan for.
  • intransitive verb To create by thinking and writing; compose.
  • intransitive verb To work as a drafter.
  • intransitive verb To move, ride, or drive close behind a fast-moving object so as to take advantage of the slipstream, especially in a race.
  • adjective Suited for or used for drawing heavy loads.
  • adjective Drawn from a cask or tap.
  • idiom (on draft) Drawn from a large container, such as a keg.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In cotton manuf., to attenuate (a lap, sliver, or roving) by drawing it between rollers which run at different speeds.
  • To separate (and sort) from the herd: as, to draft cattle. See def. 3.
  • noun The act of drawing or dragging (in any sense); a drawing; a draw; a haul; a pull.
  • noun The capacity of being dragged or hauled; the yielding to a force which draws or drags: as, a cart or plow of easy draft.
  • noun The act of drawing water from a well, or any liquid from a vessel; the state of being ready to be so drawn: as, ale on draught.
  • noun That which is drawn, dragged, or pulled; a load or burden to be drawn.
  • noun That which is secured by drawing or pulling; specifically, that which is obtained by drawing a net through the water in fishing; a haul.
  • noun The act of drinking, as of water or wine.
  • noun A quantity of a liquid drunk at one time; a quantity, especially of a medicine, prescribed to be drunk at one time.
  • noun A drawing by sensuous or mental motives; attraction; enticement; inducement.
  • noun The act of drawing or taking away a part; the act of taking a number or a portion from an aggregate; a levy; the act of depleting or reducing in number, force, etc.: as, a draft upon his resources.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English draught, act of drawing or pulling, from Old English *dreaht; akin to dragan, to draw.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English draught ("drawing, pull, stroke, etc."), from Old English dragan ("to draw, drag"); see draw.

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Examples

Comments

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  • “No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft.�?

    – H.G. Wells (1866-1946)

    August 28, 2007

  • Excellent! One of my favorite quotes. :-)

    August 28, 2007