Meaning & use
draught
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A flow of cold air moving through a room or enclosed space.
Grammar: Counted: a draught, two draughts. American spelling is draft.
Patterns
- a draught from something
Close the door, there's a draught in here.
A cold draught came under the window.
He sat out of the draught.
noununcountableBritish
Beer or other drink served from a large container such as a barrel rather than from bottles or cans.
Grammar: Used in on draught: they serve it on draught.
Patterns
- on draught
The pub has three beers on draught.
I prefer draught cider to the bottled kind.
nouncountableliteraryold-fashioned
A single large swallow of a drink.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a draught of water.
Patterns
- a draught of something
He drank a long draught of cold water.
She took a deep draught from the cup.
nounusually pluralBritish
One of the round pieces used in the game draughts, called checkers in the US.
Grammar: The game name is plural, usually without a: they played draughts.
We played draughts all afternoon.
The draughts were kept in a wooden box.
Word forms
| plural | draughts |
|---|
Common combinations
- cold draught
- A cold draught blew across the floor.
- on draught
- Is the lager on draught?
- draught excluder
- We put a draught excluder by the front door.
- draught beer
- He ordered a draught beer.
- play draughts
- My grandfather taught me to play draughts.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- draughty adjective
- having cold air blowing through
- draughtsman noun
- a person who makes technical drawings
Commonly confused: draught or draft?
draught vs draft
Draft is the American spelling for the air flow, and also means a first version of a text. Draught is the British spelling of the air and drink senses.
Practice
In British English, which sense does 'a pint of lager on draught' show?
Choose one answer.
On draught means served from a large container such as a keg. The other senses of draught do not describe how a drink is served.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “draught”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.