From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdraftdraft1 /drɑːft $ dræft/ ●●○ S3 W3 AWL noun [countable] 1 UNFINISHED FORMpiece of writingTCNAL a piece of writing or a plan that is not yet in its finished form the rough draft of his new novel I read the first draft and thought it was very good. All parties eventually approved the final draft (=finished form) of the peace treaty.2 → the draft3 moneyMONEY especially British EnglishBFB a written order for money to be paid by a bank, especially from one bank to another4 sportsSPORT American EnglishDS a system in which professional teams choose players from colleges to join their teams5 cold air/beerCOLD AIR/DRINKSx-ref the American spelling of draughtCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe first/second etc draftThe second draft of the agreement contained a few important changes.the final draft (=the finished form)He showed me the final draft of his letter.a rough draft (=not the finished form)Could you let me see a rough draft of your report?the original draft (=the first one)The hero had a different name in the original draft of the story.an early/earlier draft (=written before others)In earlier drafts of the speech, he criticized the pace of political progress.a preliminary draft (=coming before others)A preliminary draft of the charter has been issued.verbswrite/draw up/prepare a draft (=write one)Always write a rough draft of your essay first.He drew up a draft of the club’s rules and regulations.approve a draft (=officially accept one)The draft was approved by the Senate.
Examples from the Corpus
draft• I read a draft of the first chapter and thought it was very good.• Could you close the window? There's a draft in here.• The Committee draws attention to any draft which it considers to raise a matter of political or legal importance.• The cold draft forced visitors to wear heavy coats outside the Los Angeles Clippers' locker room.• By the end of the year, Jim had produced a first draft of his new novel.• Journalism, it is often said in newsrooms, is the first draft of history.• Next, the draft would make it cheaper for disgruntled shareholders to sue directors for mismanagement.final draft• Assuming this means we are near a final draft we should meet to discuss cover design.• In her final draft she made only a few trivial changes.• I have pleasure in enclosing our considered response and hope it will be carefully considered before the final draft is prepared.• Always use good quality paper, especially for the final draft.• Chancellor Norman Lamont and fellow finance ministers began hammering out the final draft in Edinburgh yesterday afternoon.• This layout should be made as formal as if it were the final draft.• It is good practice to write your proposal word for word as if it were the final draft.• Could you therefore send a copy of your final draft to: as well as to me via Welshpool.draftdraft2 AWL verb [transitive] 1 piece of writingTCNAL to write a plan, letter, report etc that will need to be changed before it is in its finished form Eva’s busy drafting her speech for the conference.2 militaryPMA to order someone to join the army, navy etc, especially during a war SYN conscriptbe drafted into something My dad was eighteen when he got drafted into the army.Grammar Draft is usually passive in this meaning.3 sports American English to choose a college player to join a professional team Craigwell was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks. → draft somebody ↔ in→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
draft• The prisoners sat down together to draft a letter to the governor.• A 16-member commission to draft a new constitution was also set up.• Ballou drafted a proposal which was later presented to the school board.• Craigwell was the first player drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks.• She's busy drafting her speech for next week's conference.• He was drafted into civilian service by missy Peckha.• The White House did not draft its own amendment, and Clinton said he would work with Congress to draft one.• Somehow my boss drafted me into filing these reports.• She drafts official proclamations and reads them with great ceremony.• Officials are drafting the strategy, which aims to raise teaching standards through training and staff support.• With those principles, Lord Owen and Mr Vance drafted their plan.• The drafter should not begin to draft until he/she knows exactly what he/she wants to say.be drafted into something• He was drafted into civilian service by missy Peckha.• Then he was drafted into Laura's studio where his technical expertise was critical in strengthening the developing team.• But it might be two years before they are ready to be drafted into the League side.• But at the last minute, following a series of defections, O'Connor was drafted into the side at full back.• While a college student, Say was drafted into the U.S.draftdraft3 AWL adjective 1 → draft proposal/copy/version etc2 the American spelling of draughtExamples from the Corpus
draft• It was almost 2am when the news came through that a draft agreement had been reached.• The packs will include title documents, searches, surveys and a draft contract.• The council also instructed Gittings and Lounsbery to come back in 30 days with a draft ordinance for a citywide cabaret tax.• We have had thousands of requests for the draft procedures'.• On the last day, the team presents a draft report to the superintendent.• Garven said he could not reveal details of the draft report.From Longman Business Dictionarydraftdraft1 /drɑːftdræft/ noun [countable] a document or piece of writing that has to be checked and possibly changed, and so is not yet in its finished formThis is only a rough draft of the letter.When can I have the first draft of your proposal?a draft report, which the Committee has read and considered in detail. → exposure draft → see also bank draftdraftdraft2 verb [transitive] to write a letter, report etc that will need to be changed before it is in its finished formI’ll ask our contracts department to draft an agreement.→ See Verb tableOrigin draft1 (1500-1600) → DRAUGHT1 