draw

Draw is a term with several related meanings across art, language, and chance. As a verb, it most commonly means to produce marks on a surface to form a picture or other representation, using tools such as pencils, pens, charcoal, or ink. It can also mean to pull or move something toward oneself or toward a specific point, or to attract attention, interest, or resources. As a noun, draw can refer to the produced image itself (a drawing) or to a method of selection or competition (a draw).

Drawing as a visual art involves line work, contour, shading, and composition; it is foundational in art education and connects to other media such as preliminary studies for painting or sculpture. Historically drawing developed from prehistoric mark-making to Renaissance studies; common techniques include line drawing, hatching/cross-hatching, stippling, tonal shading, and gesture drawing. Materials vary from graphite pencils and charcoal to ink, colored pencils, pastels, and digital tablets.

Draw also denotes a process of random selection used in lotteries, raffles, and prize drawings; tickets or entries are gathered and winners are chosen by chance. In sports and games, a draw can refer to a tied match (no winner) or to the act of selecting positions, teams, or pairings by drawing lots. In some contexts, "draw" signifies the result of a contest that ends with equal scores.

In everyday language, draw can also describe actions such as drawing a breath, drawing water, or drawing on past experience to inform current decisions.