drawing

/ˈdroɪŋ/

/ˈdrɔɪŋ/

Other forms: drawings

A drawing is a sketch or a picture, usually made with a pencil or pen. You might use extra class time after you've finished a test to make a quick drawing of your teacher sleeping at his desk.

A drawing is an artwork that's not a painting — it's made of sketched lines and represents some object, person, or form. An architect might begin working on a project for a house design by doing some drawings, and a kindergartener might proudly hang a drawing of her family on the refrigerator. Another kind of drawing is the act of pulling, which is also the earliest meaning of the word.

Definitions of drawing

1. noun

   a representation of forms or objects on a surface by means of lines
   “drawings of abstract forms”

   “he did complicated pen-and-ink drawings like medieval miniatures”

   types:

   charcoal

   a drawing made with a stick of black carbon material

   delineation, depiction, limning, line drawing

   a drawing of the outlines of forms or objects

   diagram

   a drawing intended to explain how something works; a drawing showing the relation between the parts

   mechanical drawing

   scale drawing of a machine or architectural plan etc,

   pen-and-ink

   a drawing executed with pen and ink

   architectural plan, plan

   scale drawing of a structure

   rendering

   perspective drawing of an architect's design

   doodle, scrabble, scribble

   an aimless drawing

   silhouette

   a drawing of the outline of an object; filled in with some uniform color

   silverpoint

   a drawing made on specially prepared paper with an instrument having a silver tip (15th and 16th centuries)

   sketch, study

   preliminary drawing for later elaboration

   stick figure

   drawing of a human or animal that represents the head by a circle and the rest of the body by straight lines

   trace, tracing

   a drawing created by superimposing a semitransparent sheet of paper on the original image and copying on it the lines of the original image

   pastel

   a drawing made with pastel sticks

   animalisation, animalization

   a depiction in the form of an animal

   block diagram

   a diagram showing the interconnections between the components of system (especially an electronic system)

   design

   a preliminary sketch indicating the plan for something

   draft, rough drawing

   a preliminary sketch of a design or picture

   elevation

   drawing of an exterior of a structure

   floor plan

   scale drawing of a horizontal section through a building at a given level; contrasts with elevation

   horizontal section

   a mechanical drawing of an object as if made by a plane cutting through it horizontally

   horoscope

   a diagram of the positions of the planets and signs of the zodiac at a particular time and place

   schematic, schematic drawing

   diagram of an electrical or mechanical system

   Venn diagram, Venn's diagram

   a diagram that uses circles to represent mathematical or logical sets pictorially inside a rectangle (the universal set); elements that are common to more than one set are represented by intersections of the circles

   vertical section

   a mechanical drawing showing the interior of an object as if made by a vertical plane passing through it

   vignette

   a small illustrative sketch (as sometimes placed at the beginning of chapters in books)

   zodiac

   (astrology) a circular diagram representing the 12 zodiacal constellations and showing their signs

   flowchart

   a diagram that shows a sequence of operations or a progression through a process or system

   flow chart

   a diagram that shows a sequence of operations or a progression through a process or system

   type of:

   representation

   a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something
2. noun

   the creation of artistic pictures or diagrams
   “he learned drawing from his father”

   synonyms: drafting, draftsmanship

   types:

   pyrography

   the act of producing drawings on wood or leather by using heated tools or a fine flame

   tracing

   the act of drawing a plan or diagram or outline

   type of:

   art, artistic creation, artistic production

   the creation of beautiful or significant things
3. noun

   an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
   “it is shown by the drawing in Fig. 7”

   types:

   frame, panel

   a single drawing in a comic strip

   type of:

   art, artwork, graphics, nontextual matter

   photographs or other visual representations in a printed publication
4. noun

   the act of moving a load by drawing or pulling
   synonyms: draft, draught

   type of:

   pull, pulling

   the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
5. noun

   act of getting or draining something such as electricity or a liquid from a source
   “the drawing of water from the well”

   synonyms: drawing off

   types:

   derivation

   drawing off water from its main channel as for irrigation

   derivation

   drawing of fluid or inflammation away from a diseased part of the body

   type of:

   drain

   a gradual depletion of energy or resources
6. noun

   players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed by casting lots
   synonyms: lottery

   types:

   tombola

   a lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum

   lucky dip

   a game in which prizes (e.g., candies or coins) are concealed in a container and for a small sum a player can draw one out at random

   numbers, numbers game, numbers pool, numbers racket

   an illegal daily lottery

   raffle

   a lottery in which the prizes are goods rather than money

   sweepstakes

   a lottery in which the prize consists of the money paid by the participants

   type of:

   gambling game, game of chance

   a game that involves gambling