draft

Word relationships

• outline: An outline provides a skeleton structure, whereas a draft contains complete preliminary sentences or forms.

• final version: A final version is complete and polished, with no further edits needed.

Commonly confused with

• drought: Drought is a lack of rain; draft is an initial written version or current of air.

Word family

• drafting (noun): The act of writing a preliminary version.
• drafter (noun): A person who draws up documents.

Collocations

• first draft
• rough draft
• draft a proposal
• final draft

Idioms & expressions

• back to the drawing draft

Example sentences

• "She wrote the rough draft of her novel in six weeks, knowing the real work would lie in editing." Literary composition
• "The lawyers agreed to draft a temporary contract until full terms were settled." Legal negotiation

Memory hook

You DRAW lines to make a DRAFT. Draw it out first as a draft.

When not to use

Do not call a completed, polished masterpiece a draft.

Fun facts

• 'Draft' and 'draught' (as in draught beer) originate from the same root word.

Related words

refine, iterate, conceive

Explore more words

manuscript, prototype, provisional, conceptualize, document, improvise

Also appears in

• Communication → Writing & Composition
• Law → Legislation & Lawmaking
• Military Science & Warfare → Conscription & Drafts
• Dining Out & Food Culture → Bars, Pubs & Nightlife
• Hobbies, Crafts & Leisure → Board Games & Tabletop
• Home & Domestic Life → Heating, Cooling & Climate
• Student Life & Schooling → Homework & Assignments
• Pets & Animals (Domestic) → Working & Service Animals