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Meaning & use

rough draft

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌrʌf ˈdrɑːft/
US/ˌrʌf ˈdræft/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    An early, unfinished version of a piece of writing that will be improved later.

    Grammar: Countable: a rough draft, the rough draft, rough drafts.

    Patterns

    • write a rough draft
    • a rough draft of something
    • in rough draft

    I finished the rough draft of my essay last night.

    Please bring a rough draft of your report to class on Monday.

    The rough draft is messy, but the ideas are all there.

  2. nouncountable

    A first attempt at any piece of work, such as a drawing or plan, made before the final version.

    Grammar: Used for plans and drawings as well as writing.

    Patterns

    • a rough draft of something
    • produce a rough draft

    He showed us a rough draft of the new logo.

    The architect sketched a rough draft of the building before the final plans.

Word forms

pluralrough drafts

Common combinations

write a rough draft
Try to write a rough draft without stopping to correct mistakes.
a rough draft of an essay
She emailed me a rough draft of her essay for comments.
the first rough draft
The first rough draft took him only an hour.
revise a rough draft
We spent the lesson revising our rough drafts.

Synonyms and how they differ

first draft
The most neutral term; 'rough draft' adds the idea that it is unpolished and full of gaps.
outline
An outline lists main points only, while a rough draft is written out in full sentences.
sketch
Sketch is used mostly for drawings or brief plans, not for a full piece of writing.

Opposites

final draftfinished version

Word family

draft noun
any version of a piece of writing before the final one
draft verb
to write the first version of something
redraft verb
to write a piece of writing again in a new form

Commonly confused: rough draft or draught?

rough draft vs draught

In British English 'draught' means a current of cold air; the writing word is always 'draft' in American English and usually in British English too.

Practice

Before you hand in the essay, you should write a ______ so you can organize your ideas.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “rough draft”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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