Draft — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective verb /ˈdraft/

Meaning & Definition of Draft

Draft (noun)

  1. the act of drawing or pulling in a net
  2. haul
  3. the act or an instance of drinking or inhaling; also, the portion drunk or inhaled in one such act

Draft (adjective)

  1. used or adapted for drawing loads
  2. being or having been ready to be drawn from a receptacle, being or having been on draft

Draft (verb)

  1. to select for some purpose
  2. to conscript for military service
  3. to select (a professional athlete) by draft

Draft (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a mass or quantity of something taken up and carried, conveyed, or transported

    "the draft of an average-sized oil tanker"

    similar: burden, cargo, freight, haul, lading, load, loading, payload, weight
    related: consignment, boatload, carload, shipload, trainload, truckload, wagonload, ballast, deadweight, overload, surcharge, bale, bundle, pack, package, packet, parcel, shipment, manifest, body, bulk, mass

  2. the portion of a serving of a beverage that is swallowed at one time

    "took a long draft of the beer before putting his mug down"

    similar: belt, drag, drink, gulp, nip, quaff, shot, sip, slug, snort, sup, swallow, swig, swill
    related: dram, drop

  3. noticeable movement of air in a particular direction

    "do you feel a draft from beneath the door?"

    similar: current, wind
    related: blast, blow, flurry, gale, gust, headwind, squall, tailwind, tempest, tornado, windstorm, breath, breeze, puff, waft, zephyr

Draft (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to pick especially for required military service

    "my grandfather was drafted to fight in a war that he opposed"

    similar: conscribe, conscript, levy
    related: impress, press, enlist, enroll, recruit, call up, sign up, volunteer
    near: discharge, muster out

  2. to put (something) into proper and usually carefully worked out written form

    "draft a letter to the local newspaper giving your views on the problem"

    similar: cast, compose, craft, draw up, formulate, frame, prepare, put together
    related: fabricate, fashion, form, mold, sculpture, shape, couch, express, phrase, state, verbalize, word, author, indite, pen, write, conceive, concoct, devise, build, construct, make, assemble, compound, piece (together), redraft, reformulate, reframe

  3. to remove (liquid) gradually or completely

    "remember to draft the water from the pool so that we can close it up for the winter"

    similar: bleed, drain, draw (off), pump, siphon, tap
    related: milk, suck, clear, empty, evacuate, exhaust, vacate, vacuate, void, decant, effuse, deplete, clean, flush, purge
    opposite: fill
    near: bathe, douse, drench, soak, souse, wash, water, wet, deluge, drown, flood, inundate, overflow, submerge, swamp

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Draft

The most common words with a similar meaning to Draft:

burden, cargo, freight, haul, lading, load, loading, payload, weight, belt, drag, drink, gulp, nip, quaff, shot, sip, slug, snort, sup, swallow, swig, swill, current, wind, conscribe, conscript, levy, cast, compose, craft, draw up, formulate, frame, prepare, bleed, drain, draw (off), pump, siphon

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Draft

Words with the opposite meaning of Draft:

fill

Related Words for Draft

consignment, boatload, carload, shipload, trainload, truckload, wagonload, ballast, deadweight, overload, surcharge, bale, bundle, pack, package, packet, parcel, shipment, manifest, body, bulk, mass, dram, drop, blast, blow, flurry, gale, gust, headwind

Near Antonyms of Draft

discharge, muster out, bathe, douse, drench, soak, souse, wash, water, wet, deluge, drown, flood, inundate, overflow, submerge, swamp

Word Forms of Draft

Inflections: drafted, drafting, drafts

Derived words: draftable (adjective), draftee (noun), drafter (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Draft

Middle English drauȝt, draught, drawt "act of pulling or drawing, drawing of water from a well, movement, move in chess or a similar game, quantity of liquid drunk at one time, something drawn or written," probably going back to Old English *dreaht, *dræht, going back to Germanic *drohtu- (whence also Middle Dutch dracht "pregnancy, child, load, dress," Middle High German traht "act of bearing, pregnancy," Old Icelandic dráttr "pulling, hesitation"), action noun with the suffix *-tu- from Germanic *dragan- "to drag, pull" (in Old English and North Germanic), "to carry" (in the rest of West Germanic) draw:1

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Draft

Words & Phrases Containing Draft

draft board, draft dodger, anti-draft, on draft, bank draft, dodge the draft

Frequently Asked Questions about Draft

What does "Draft" mean?

"Draft" means the act of drawing or pulling in a net. As an a noun, an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: the act of drawing or pulling in a net. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Draft"?

Other words for "Draft" include burden, cargo, freight, haul, lading, load, loading and payload. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Draft" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Draft"?

There are 133 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Draft". Common alternatives include burden, cargo, freight, haul, lading, load, loading, payload, weight and belt.

What is the opposite of "Draft"?

Antonyms of "Draft" include fill. Near antonyms include discharge, muster out, bathe and douse.

How do you use "Draft" in a sentence?

Examples of "Draft" in a sentence: "the draft of an average-sized oil tanker"; "took a long draft of the beer before putting his mug down"; "do you feel a draft from beneath the door?".

Is "Draft" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Draft" can be used as a noun, an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Draft" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Draft" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+. It is on the Academic Word List, so it appears often in IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, and university texts.

How do you pronounce "Draft"?

"Draft" is pronounced /ˈdraft/.