draw

draw vb drag, *pull, tug, tow, haul, hale

Analogous words: *bring, fetch: *attract, allure: *lure, entice: extract, elicit, evoke, *educe

Contrasted words: see those at DRAG

draw n Draw, tie, stalemate, deadlock, standoff mean an indecisive ending to a contest or competition or a contest or competition ending indecisively.

Draw usually implies equally matched contestants who compete (as in fighting, performing, or playing) with equal skill and between whom there can be no clear decision as to the superiority of one or the other

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the prizefight ended in a draw

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the chess match was a draw

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Tie implies a numerical equality (as in the scores attained by competitors or contestants, or in the votes obtained by candidates for office); usually a tie does not remain indecisive, since provisions are often made (as by law or by the rules of a game) for reaching a decision when a tie occurs

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there was a tie between the two candidates for governor, which was decided by a vote of the legislature

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when a contest ends in a tie, a further match is often played to determine the winner

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Stalemate is fundamentally a term of chess which designates the position of a player when his king, although not in check, cannot be moved without being placed in check and the game is thereby drawn; in extended use, stalemate represents a condition from which neither contestant can derive an advantage

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was advised to cut his losses by withdrawing ... but refused, and expended much precious material there in a costly stalemate— D. N. Rowe

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they believed that they could hold the triumvirs to a stalemate till hunger or sedition broke down their armies— Buchan

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Deadlock implies a counteraction or neutralization of the efforts of contending elements (as parties, forces, or factions) that leads to a stoppage of action; it connotes an immobilization because of the equal power of the opposing elements usually in a situation other than a formal competition or contest

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it often happens that one party has a majority in the Senate, another party in the House, and then ... a deadlock results— Bryce

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so the deadlock continues, and neither side is prepared to yield— Blanshard

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Standoff is an informal term usually for a draw or tie but sometimes for a situation where two opponents counteract or neutralize each other, so evenly are they matched

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they fought several hours to a standoff

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the availability of the bomb to the two greatest powers may mean a standoff as far as atomic war is concerned— Atlantic

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a standoff between the Communist party and the Army, a sort of uneasy truce with each watching the other carefully— L. Ryan

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