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draft

DRAFT /dræft/

nounverbB1SATACTIELTSTOEFL

AcademicProfessionalGeneral

A preliminary, unpolished version of a piece of writing; to prepare such a version.

Implies a raw, working state of text where the primary goal is capturing ideas rather than perfecting mechanics.

The story behind the word. The word 'draft' comes from the Old English 'dragan', meaning 'to draw or pull'. Just as a horse draws a cart, a writer 'draws' a pen across paper, pulling ideas out of the mind and sketching them into physical form.

Word relationships

outline: An outline is a skeletal framework of points, whereas a draft contains full sentences and paragraphs.
sketch: A sketch is highly visual or extremely brief, while a draft is a more complete textual attempt.

final version: The final version is polished, corrected, and ready for publication, unlike a draft.

Commonly confused with

draught: In British English, 'draught' refers to beer on tap or a current of air, though historically they share the same origin.

Word family

drafting (noun): The act of preparing a preliminary version of a document.
drafter (noun): A person who writes a draft.

Collocations

rough draft
first draft
final draft
draft a proposal

Example sentences

"The first draft of anything is shit." A famous reflection on the writing process by a legendary author.
"She spent the afternoon working on a rough draft of the merger proposal." Describing the initial stages of a business proposal.

Memory hook

Think of a 'draft' as 'drawing' the first lines of a picture before you paint it. Draw the first lines.

When not to use

Do not use when referring to a finalized, published document.

Fun facts

In the military, a 'draft' pulls people into service, sharing the exact same root of 'drawing' or 'pulling' individuals.