What’s the past tense of “draw”?
What’s the past tense of draw? Draw, drew, drawed, or drawn? If you’re looking for the short answer, it’s right below. To get the full understanding, read the entire post.
The meaning of the verb “draw”
To draw, which describes the “making a picture of something or someone with a pencil or pen: i.e., Jonathan can draw very well“.
- To draw is the present tense form of the verb.
- Drew is the simple past tense, and have/had drawn uses the past participle form.
| tense | examples: tenses of “draw” in sentences |
| present tense | I draw pictures every day in my notebook. |
| past tense | My mother drew a portrait of my father. |
| past participle | Four portraits have been drawn by Peter today. |
Other definitions of the verb, “draw”
Draw has a second meaning, which is understood as “to bring by inducement or allure: honey draws flies.” In this sense, draw is similar in meaning to words like ‘pull’, ‘compel’ or ‘attract’.
As a noun, a draw can refer to a lottery or raffle, e.g., ‘We cannot choose a winner, so let’s leave it to a draw.’ Draw may also mean a tie or, “a situation in which each team in a game has equal points and neither side wins: The result was a draw.”
Verb forms of draw
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I draw | I drew | I will draw |
| continuous | I am drawing | I was drawing | I will be drawing |
| perfect | I have drawn | I had drawn | I will have drawn |
| perfect continuous | I have been drawing | I had been drawing | I will have been drawing |
Similar irregular verbs
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
| fly | flew | flown |
| blow | blew | blown |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| drink | drank | drunk |
When to use drew vs. drawn
My mother drew a portrait of my father. (simple past)
He had drawn a picture in her memory. (past perfect)
Both sentences are forms of the past tense, and so they describe something that’s happened before now. The second sentence uses the past perfect formation: past tense of have, [had] + [past participle], drawn.
Drawn and drawing are the participle forms of draw. If either appear, this tells you that it’s a perfect and/or continuous tense in grammar, and not a simple tense construction.
“Draw” / “drew” / “drawn”, used in sentences
| Examples: draw, used in sentence examples |
| The computer can draw the graph for you. I draw pictures on the wall of my examining room to explain things. You draw beautifully. An artist told me he would draw a picture of the person. She struggled to draw deep breaths. |
| Examples: drew/drawn, used in sentences |
| She has drawn a picture of her dog for others as well. They had drawn the world’s biggest picture. She had a drawn face. Students drew maps of the states and labeled them. She drew a picture of her dog for her mom. |
Worksheet: verb forms of ‘draw’
| Select the correct verb form to complete the sentences. | options: |
|---|---|
| 1. He ___ his chair nearer the fire. | a. draws b. had drawn c. draw d. drew |
| 2. He ___ a photo in her memory. | a. draws b. had drawn c. draw d. had drawn |
| 3. Try to ___ that picture. | a. draws b. had drawn c. draw d. drawing |
| 4. He carefully ___ a picture of his wife. | a. draws b. drew c. draw d. drawing |
| 5. Are you ___ a sketch of something? | a. draws b. drawing c. draw d. drew |
| 6. Peter ___ 3 portraits today. | a. drew b. has drawn c. is drawing d. draws |
Answers
- d
- b
- c
- b
- b
- b
Synonyms of draw (as in, to attract)
- attract
- allure
- entice
- compel
- captivate
- charm
- enchant
- pull
- magnetize
- inveigle
Synonyms of draw (as in sketch)
- sketch
- illustrate
- depict
- paint
Origin of the word
From etymology online on draw (v.):
To “give motion to by the act of pulling,” c. 1200, drauen, spelling alteration of Old English dragan “to drag, to draw, protract” Proto-Germanic *draganan “to draw, pull”.
Learn more about verbs
| Types of verbs & verb tenses | what’s the past tense of …? |
| forms of ‘to be’ | … seek? |
| auxiliary verbs | … teach? |
| present tense | … catch? |
| future tense | … buy? |
| past tense | … read? |
| perfect tense | … ring? |
| transitive vs. intransitive | … drive? |
| participles | … throw? |
| irregular verbs | … lead? |
| modals | … win? |
Sources
- “Draw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draw. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.
- Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of draw.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/draw. Accessed 21 February, 2023.
- Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group, draw. Accessed on February 21, 2023.
