What’s the past tense of “draw”?
Yesterday, I drew a beautiful landscape.
She drew a perfect circle in her notebook.
He drawed a picture of a cat.
They drawn a map of the island.
What’s the past tense of draw? Draw, drew, drawed, or drawn? If you’re looking for the short answer, it’s right below. To get the full understanding, read the entire post.
The meaning of the verb “draw”
To draw, which describes the “making a picture of something or someone with a pencil or pen: i.e., Jonathan can draw very well“.
- To draw is the present tense form of the verb.
- Drew is the simple past tense, and have/had drawn uses the past participle form.
| tense | examples: tenses of “draw” in sentences |
| present tense | I draw pictures every day in my notebook. |
| past tense | My mother drew a portrait of my father. |
| past participle | Four portraits have been drawn by Peter today. |
Other definitions of the verb, “draw”
Draw has a second meaning, which is understood as “to bring by inducement or allure: honey draws flies.” In this sense, draw is similar in meaning to words like ‘pull’, ‘compel’ or ‘attract’.
As a noun, a draw can refer to a lottery or raffle, e.g., ‘We cannot choose a winner, so let’s leave it to a draw.’ Draw may also mean a tie or, “a situation in which each team in a game has equal points and neither side wins: The result was a draw.”
Verb forms of draw
| present | past | future | |
| simple | I draw | I drew | I will draw |
| continuous | I am drawing | I was drawing | I will be drawing |
| perfect | I have drawn | I had drawn | I will have drawn |
| perfect continuous | I have been drawing | I had been drawing | I will have been drawing |
Similar irregular verbs
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
| fly | flew | flown |
| blow | blew | blown |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| drink | drank | drunk |
One helpful study tip for learning the past tense of irregular verbs like “draw” is to create flashcards with the verb in its present, past, and past participle forms. Regularly review these flashcards to commit the correct forms to memory.
When to use drew vs. drawn
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Past Tense | My mother drew a portrait of my father. (simple past) |
| Other | He had drawn a picture in her memory. (past perfect) |
Both sentences are forms of the past tense, and so they describe something that’s happened before now. The second sentence uses the past perfect formation: past tense of have, [had] + [past participle], drawn.
Drawn and drawing are the participle forms of draw. If either appear, this tells you that it’s a perfect and/or continuous tense in grammar, and not a simple tense construction.
“Draw” / “drew” / “drawn”, used in sentences
| Examples: draw, used in sentence examples |
| The computer can draw the graph for you.
I draw pictures on the wall of my examining room to explain things. You draw beautifully. An artist told me he would draw a picture of the person. She struggled to draw deep breaths. |
| Examples: drew/drawn, used in sentences |
|---|
| She has drawn a picture of her dog for others as well.They had drawn the world’s biggest picture.She had a drawn face.Students drew maps of the states and labeled them.She drew a picture of her dog for her mom. |
| Word | Similar words |
|---|---|
| draw (as in sketch) | sketch, illustrate, depict, paint |
Origin of the word
From etymology online on draw (v.):
To “give motion to by the act of pulling,” c. 1200, drauen, spelling alteration of Old English dragan “to drag, to draw, protract” Proto-Germanic *draganan “to draw, pull”.
Practice questions: “Draw” conjugations
She ______ a beautiful picture yesterday.
He has ______ many portraits in his life.
If you ______ a straight line, use a ruler.
She ______ a map for her classmates last week.
She has ______ cartoons since she was a child.
FAQs
What’s the past tense of “draw”?
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What is “drawn” grammatically?
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How do I use “drew” correctly?
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When do I use “drawn” instead of “drew”?
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Is “drawed” a correct past tense?
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Sources
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“Draw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/draw. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.
Yash, D. "How to Use Drew or Drawn (Irregular Verb Conjugations)." Grammarflex, Aug 14, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/drew-or-drawn/.
