draw out
(redirected from draw him out)draw out
1. To entice someone or something to come out of hiding. A noun or pronoun can be used between "draw" and "out." I set a bowl of cat food by the fence, with the hope of drawing out the feral cat I'd seen earlier.
2. To elicit one to reveal or produce something, such as information or emotion. A noun or pronoun can be used between "draw" and "out." I swore my sister to secrecy, but I'm worried that dad will be able to draw the story out of her. It's amazing how the director is able to consistently draw out stellar performances from her actors. That book managed to draw out a lot of emotions that I had buried.
3. To extend something for a longer period than is or seems necessary. A noun or pronoun can be used between "draw" and "out." Just when I thought the professor couldn't draw out this lecture any more, he droned on about torts for another half hour.
4. To cause someone to speak or converse willingly. A noun or pronoun can be used between "draw" and "out." Meredith is so friendly that she draws quiet people out very easily.
5. To remove something from something else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "draw" and "out." The doctor drew a tongue depressor out of the jar and told me to open my mouth.
6. To cause something to move or flow out of something else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "draw" and "out." The salt helps draw the liquid out of the fabric so that it doesn't leave a stain. We need to create a vacuum in order to draw out the venom from the snake bite.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
draw someone (or an animal)
out of something and draw someone or an animal out to lure someone or an animal out of something or some place. I thought the smell of breakfast would draw him out of his slumber. The catnip drew out the cat from under the front porch.
draw
( oneself ) aside [for someone] to move aside. I drew myself aside so the children could pass. He drew himself aside so Maggie could pass.
draw
( someone or something ) from something to sketch (someone or something) from a particular source, such as memory, real life, a photograph, etc. He is a very good artist. He can draw from a photograph or a painting. I will try to draw him from memory.
draw someone out
on someone or something and draw someone out about someone or something; draw someone out to bring out someone's private thoughts about someone or something. I tried to draw him out on this matter, but he would not say any more. I tried to draw out the speaker, but she would not elaborate on what she had said. Fred wanted to draw out information about the company's plans, but the controller had nothing to say.
draw something out of someone and draw something out
to get some kind of information from someone. He kept his mouth closed, and we couldn't draw anything out of him. We were able to draw out the information we wanted.
draw someone or something out of some place
and draw someone or something outto pull someone or something out of a place. We drew him out of the crawl space where he lay hiding. We drew the concealed microphone out of the cabinet.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
draw out
1. Pull out, extract, remove, as in She drew out her pen, or Let's draw some money out of the bank. [c. 1300]
2. Prolong, protract, as in This meal was drawn out over four hours. The related expression long-drawn-out means "greatly extended or protracted," as in The dinner was a long-drawn-out affair. [1500s]
3. Induce to speak freely, as in The teacher was good at drawing out the children. [Late 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
draw out
v.
1. To pull something out of some other thing: The sheriff drew a gun out of a holster. The burglar drew out a knife.
2. To lure someone or something out of some state or place: The teacher's voice drew me out of my daydream. The hunters tried to draw deer out into the open.
3. To make something longer than usual or necessary; prolong something: The emcee drew out his introduction until the performers were ready. The speaker drew the lecture out so that it would last the entire class.
4. To induce someone to speak freely: The doctor managed to draw the shy child out. The staff's kindness drew out the reserved patient.
5. To extract information from someone: The police drew out the truth from the suspect. The kids' parents drew the real story out from them.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
draw
/get a bead on To take careful aim at.
draw
/haul/pull in (one's) horns Informal1. To restrain oneself; draw back.
2. To retreat from a previously taken position, view, or stance.
3. To economize.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.