Meaning & use
draughts
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableBritish
A board game for two players who move round pieces diagonally and try to capture each other's pieces.
Grammar: Takes a singular verb: 'Draughts is easy to learn.' Do not say 'a draughts'.
Patterns
- play draughts
- a game of draughts
My grandfather taught me to play draughts when I was six.
They sat by the fire and had a quiet game of draughts.
Draughts is popular in many British pubs.
nounpluralBritish
The round pieces used in the game of draughts.
Grammar: Plural when it means the pieces; takes a plural verb: 'The draughts are on the table.'
Patterns
- move a draught
- a set of draughts
One of the draughts rolled under the sofa.
He keeps a set of draughts in his desk drawer.
Common combinations
- play draughts
- We often play draughts on rainy afternoons.
- a game of draughts
- He won the game of draughts in just ten minutes.
- draughts board
- The draughts board is folded and put away.
- draughts piece
- She moved a draughts piece to the far side.
Synonyms and how they differ
- checkers
- The American English name for the same game; use 'checkers' in US contexts.
Commonly confused: draughts or drafts?
draughts vs drafts
In American English, 'drafts' means cold air currents or early versions of writing, while 'draughts' (British) is the game or cold air currents.
Practice
In British English, which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Draughts' meaning the game takes a singular verb and no article. Option 0 uses a plural verb; option 2 wrongly adds 'a'; option 3 has a wrong noun form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “draughts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.