Meaning trap

draw up

come to a stop

to arrive and stop, especially referring to a vehicle or a person approaching and halting, often used in formal or narrative contexts.

phrasal verbC1rare

Don't mix these meanings

Same phrase, different job.

come to a stop

to arrive and stop, especially referring to a vehicle or a person approaching and halting, often used in formal or narrative contexts.

draw up (prepare a document)

'draw up' also has the more basic meaning 'prepare a document'; this is the advanced sense.

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Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

A sleek black limousine drew up outside the hotel entrance, attracting everyone's attention.transport
As the bus drew up to the crowded stop, passengers began to gather their belongings in preparation to board.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: draw up (to/at something) | draw up + vehicle/person

WrongA taxi drew up the entrance.

RightA taxi drew up outside the entrance. / A taxi pulled up at the entrance.

Needs a preposition: 'draw up outside/at + place'.

Patterndraw up (to/at something) | draw up + vehicle/person

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff A vehicle approached and came to a halt outside the house.

Natural A car drew up outside the house.

'Draw up' is the literary verb for a vehicle pulling in and stopping; it lives in narrative prose.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

draw up + location
outsideat the kerbalongsidein front

Don't confuse it

This sense is different from the B2 meaning of 'draw up' (to prepare a document). Here, it refers to the physical act of arriving and stopping, not to writing or organizing something.

draw up (prepare a document) — 'draw up' also has the more basic meaning 'prepare a document'; this is the advanced sense.

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