draught

[draft, drahft]

noun

1. (used with a singular verb),  draughts, the game of checkers.

2. Chiefly British.,  draft.

verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly British.,  draft.

verb (used without object)

1. Chiefly British.,  draft.

adjective

1. Chiefly British.,  draft.

draught

/ drɑːft /

noun

1. a current of air, esp one intruding into an enclosed space

2. 1. the act of pulling a load, as by a vehicle or animal

   2. ( as modifier )

      a draught horse

3. the load or quantity drawn

4. a portion of liquid to be drunk, esp a dose of medicine

5. the act or an instance of drinking; a gulp or swallow

6. the act or process of drawing air, smoke, etc, into the lungs

7. the amount of air, smoke, etc, inhaled in one breath

8. 1. beer, wine, etc, stored in bulk, esp in a cask, as opposed to being bottled

   2. ( as modifier )

      draught beer

   3. drawn from a cask or keg

9. US and Canadian equivalent: checker. Also called: draughtsman. any one of the 12 flat thick discs used by each player in the game of draughts

10. the depth of a loaded vessel in the water, taken from the level of the waterline to the lowest point of the hull

11. to be short of money

Pronunciation Note

Draught is a variant spelling of draft and is normally pronounced the same way, as or or with a vowel somewhere between and . A pronunciation is sometimes heard for draught, perhaps because -aught is frequently pronounced elsewhere, as in caught and taught.

Other Word Forms

• draughter noun
• underdraught noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of draught¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English draht (cognate with Dutch dracht, German Tracht, Old Norse drāttr ); akin to Old English dragan “to plug, drag, draw,” drōht “a pull (at the oars)”; draw

Word History and Origins

Origin of draught¹

C14: probably from Old Norse drahtr, of Germanic origin; related to _draw

Example Sentences

He explained a strong draught in the boulder filled passage at the end of the original network of caves had inspired him to delve deeper.

From BBC

At that point, it's worth stepping away from the drama and taking a cold draught of unemotive legal air, from the judge who ruled against Prince Harry on Friday afternoon.

From BBC

The normally bustling border crossing of Kasumulu remained noticeably quieter than usual with drivers seen relaxing in the shade of trees, while others played draughts or lounged in the back of their lorries.

From BBC

Green thinks the biggest reason for that decrease is the recent use of a 'draught excluder', when a player lies behind the wall to prevent the ball going underneath it.

From BBC

Last year, the British Beer and Pub Association revealed that landlords make 12p profit per pint, with the average price of a pint of draught lager costing £4.79, according to the Office for National Statistics.

From BBC

Related Words

• application 
• dosage 
• lot 
• measure 
• measurement 
• prescription 
• quantity 
• shot