Drawing is the act of making pictures or designs by moving a pencil, pen, crayon, or similar tool across paper or another surface. When you draw, you create lines, shapes, and shadows to represent what you see, imagine, or want to communicate.

Drawing is one of humanity's oldest forms of expression. Cave paintings from 40,000 years ago show our ancestors drawing animals and hunting scenes. Throughout history, artists have used drawing to plan paintings, record observations, and create finished artworks. Leonardo da Vinci filled notebooks with drawings of inventions, anatomy, and nature. Today, architects draw building plans, fashion designers sketch clothing ideas, and animators draw thousands of frames to create movies.

The word also means to pull or drag something toward you: you might draw the curtains closed, draw water from a well, or draw a bow before shooting an arrow. When something draws a crowd, it attracts or pulls people in. A story might draw you in if it captures your attention completely.

In card games, to draw means to take a card from the deck. You might also draw a conclusion (reach one through reasoning) or draw a comparison between two things.