A drawstring (draw string, draw-string) is a string, cord, or rope used to "draw" (tighten) or tie closed an opening in fabric or other material. Typically, the drawstring is loose when not being used, and tightened when needed during use.

Drawstrings are used in clothing like outerwear such as jackets (Anorak, hooded sweatshirts--or "hoodies", etc.), trousers (breeches, pajamas, scrubs, etc.), tracksuits, hats (berets) and bags (pouch, sleeping bag, stuff sack, money bag, book bags, back packs, garbage bags, etc.), and shoes (as a shoelace).

On clothing and bags, an aglet is usually (but not always) at the end of a drawstring to prevent unravelling, and a cord lock can be used on a drawstring to keep it taut. A safety pin, bodkin, or crochet hook can be used to pull a drawstring through a hole.

In 1996 the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued guidelines for drawstrings on children's upper outerwear to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstrings of upper outerwear garments, such as jackets and sweatshirts. Drawstrings on children’s clothing are a hidden hazard that can lead to deaths and injuries when they catch on such items as playground equipment, bus doors, or cribs. From 1985-1999, the CPSC received reports of 22 deaths and 48 non-fatal incidents involving the entanglement of children’s clothing drawstrings. In 2006, the CPSC issued a letter to manufacturers, retailers, and importers of children’s upper outwear garments, urging them to make certain the garments do not have hood drawstrings that can pose a strangulation hazard to children. Several product recalls due to possible strangulation hazards have occurred in recent years.