draw level

draw level — verb

  • draw levelpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • draws level3rd person singular
  • drawing level-ing form
  • drew levelpast simple
  • drawn levelpast participle

1. to move up next to someone or something that was previously ahead of you, so tha

1.verbB2
Definition

to move up next to someone or something that was previously ahead of you, so that you are now side by side or at the same point along a path

Example

Wei cycled hard and drew level with the leading rider just before the finish line.

draw level with + [person]

The blue car drew level with the truck and stayed beside it for several seconds.

draw level with + [vehicle]

Common collocations
  • draw level with someone
  • draw level with a vehicle
  • draw level at the corner
  • drew level just before
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

draw level with + [someone/something]

Usage Note

This sense is mostly British English. In American English, 'pull alongside' or 'pull up next to' is more common. The phrase is always intransitive — you draw level with someone, not 'draw level someone.'

Common Mistakes

The runner drew level the leader.
The runner drew level with the leader.
The preposition 'with' is required after the phrase.

2. to reach the same value, amount, or level of success as another person, group, o

2.verbB2
Definition

to reach the same value, amount, or level of success as another person, group, or thing after previously being behind

Example

Sales in the Asian market drew level with European sales in the third quarter.

draw level with + [market/region]

Amina's English exam score drew level with her friend Hassan's after months of extra study.

Common collocations
  • draw level with someone/something
  • draw level with last year's total
  • nearly draw level
  • finally draw level
Synonyms
  • catch up (with)

    less formal; common in everyday conversation

  • match

    shorter and more direct; can be transitive ('match someone's score')

  • equal

    more formal; often used in statistics and reports

Antonyms
  • fall behind

    to move to a position that is lower or less advanced than someone else

Grammar Patterns

draw level with + [someone/something]

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1 (physical position), this sense works for abstract comparisons — salaries, prices, scores, performance metrics. It emphasizes that the person or thing was behind and has now caught up.

Common Mistakes

His salary drew level to hers.
His salary drew level with hers.
The preposition is always 'with', never 'to'.

3. to score points, goals, or runs so that your total becomes equal to the other te

3.verbB2
Definition

to score points, goals, or runs so that your total becomes equal to the other team's or player's total in a competition

Example

Hassan scored in the 78th minute to draw level with the visiting team.

score ... to draw level with [team]

The home team drew level just before half-time with a penalty kick.

Common collocations
  • draw level with the opponent
  • draw level at 2–2
  • draw level in the final minutes
  • draw level by scoring
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • fall behind

    to be losing in a game or competition

  • trail

    to have fewer points than the opponent

Grammar Patterns

draw level with + [team/opponent]

Usage Note

This sense is specific to competitive contexts (football, rugby, cricket, basketball, etc.). In American English, the equivalent is 'tie the score' or 'tie it up.' Do not use with non-sporting numerical comparisons — sense 2 is for those.

Common Mistakes

The team drew level 2–2 the other team.
The team drew level with the other team at 2
2.' — The phrase is intransitive; 'with' is needed.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

'Draw level' implies that someone or something was behind and then reached the same position as another. 'Catch up (with)' is the broadest and most casual synonym — it works for physical chasing, academic progress, or social status, but it emphasises the process of closing a gap rather than the final state of equality. 'Match' is more direct and can be used transitively ('she matched his score'), which 'draw level' cannot. 'Equal' is the most formal and technical; it appears often in statistics and record-keeping. 'Tie' is the go-to word in American sports contexts ('the game was tied 2–2'), whereas in British English 'draw level' or 'equalise' is preferred. For example: 'Rosa caught up with her classmates after missing a month of school' (everyday progress) versus 'Exports drew level with imports for the first time this decade' (precise statistical parity). For sports, both 'drew level' (British) and 'tied' (American) are natural — pick the variety matching your audience.

catch up (with)match ↗equal ↗tie (in sports)

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • draw level with
  • draw level at

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinEnglish

'Draw' has been used in English since Old English 'dragan' meaning 'to pull, drag.' By the 1500s, 'draw' took on a sense of 'to move or come' — especially in nautical and military contexts where ships or troops would 'draw near' or 'draw alongside.' The addition of 'level' (from Latin 'libella,' a balance scale) created 'draw level,' which originally described ships pulling up to the same line as one another. By the 1800s, the phrase had extended from physical positioning to comparisons of value, achievement, and sporting scores.