Meaning & use
draft
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Meanings
nouncountable
An early version of a piece of writing, plan or design that is expected to be changed before it is final.
Grammar: Countable: write a first draft, three drafts.
Patterns
- a draft of something
- the first draft
- a rough draft
She sent her editor the first draft of the report.
This is only a rough draft, so please ignore the typos.
After three drafts, the speech finally felt right.
verbtransitive
To write or sketch a first version of something so that it can be improved later.
Grammar: Takes an object: draft a letter.
Patterns
- draft something
- draft something for someone
The lawyer drafted a contract in one afternoon.
I'll draft the email and you can check it.
The committee drafted new rules for the club.
nouncountableAmerican
A stream of cool air moving through a room or other enclosed space.
Grammar: Countable in British English (a draught is the usual spelling there): there's a draft from the window.
Patterns
- a draft from something
- feel a draft
Close the door; there's a cold draft in here.
The old windows let in a draft all winter.
He felt a draft on the back of his neck.
verbtransitive
To select someone and require or invite them to serve, such as in the army or a sports team.
Grammar: Takes an object, often passive: he was drafted into the army.
Patterns
- draft someone into something
- draft someone to do something
He was drafted into the army at eighteen.
The team drafted a promising young goalkeeper.
I got drafted to help organize the fair.
nounsingularsport
A system of choosing new players for professional sports teams, or of calling people into military service.
Grammar: Usually used with the: the draft, the NFL draft.
Patterns
- the draft
- a draft pick
The quarterback was the first player chosen in the draft.
Many young men feared the draft during the war.
She watched the draft with her friends.
Word forms
| plural | drafts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | drafts |
| past tense | drafted |
| past participle | drafted |
| -ing form | drafting |
Common combinations
- first draft
- Don't worry about errors in a first draft.
- final draft
- The final draft is due on Friday.
- draft a letter
- She drafted a letter to the landlord.
- draft proposal
- We reviewed the draft proposal in the meeting.
- draft pick
- The team traded its top draft pick.
- cold draft
- A cold draft whistled under the door.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outline
- An outline gives only the main structure, whereas a draft is a fuller version of the actual text.
- sketch
- Sketch suggests a quick, loose version, often of a drawing, while draft usually means written text.
- version
- Version is neutral and can be final, but draft always suggests the work is unfinished.
- conscript
- As a verb, conscript is stricter and means forced into military service only.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: draft or draught?
draft vs draught
Draught is the British spelling for the air current and for beer from a barrel. American English uses draft for all of these senses.
Practice
Which sentence uses draft to mean a stream of cold air?
Choose one answer.
Only the open window sentence refers to moving air. The others mean a written version, military service, and a team selection.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “draft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.