withdraw

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
2. (archaic, transitive) To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
3. (transitive) To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation.
4. (transitive) To take away or take back (something previously given or permitted); to remove, to retract.
5. (transitive) To cause or help (someone) to stop taking an addictive drug or substance; to dry out.
6. (transitive) To take (one's eyes) off something; to look away.
7. (figuratively, transitive) To disregard (something) as belonging to a certain group.
8. (figuratively, transitive) To remove (a topic) from discussion or inquiry.
9. (figuratively, transitive) To stop (a course of action, proceedings, etc.)
10. (figuratively, transitive) To take back (a comment, something written, etc.); to recant, to retract.
11. (archaic, obsolete, transitive) To distract or divert (someone) from a course of action, a goal, etc.
12. (transitive) To extract (money) from a bank account or other financial deposit.
13. (intransitive) Chiefly followed by from: to leave a place, someone's presence, etc., to go to another room or place.
14. (intransitive, specifically) Chiefly followed by from: to leave a place, someone's presence, etc., to go to another room or place.
15. (intransitive) Chiefly followed by from: to stop taking part in some activity; also, to remove oneself from the company of others, from publicity, etc.
16. (intransitive) To stop talking to or interacting with other people and start thinking thoughts not related to what is happening.
17. (intransitive) To stop taking an addictive drug or substance; to undergo withdrawal.
18. (intransitive) Of a man: to remove the penis from a partner's body orifice before ejaculation; to engage in coitus interruptus.

Noun

1. (obsolete) An act of drawing back or removing; a removal, a withdrawal or withdrawing.
2. (obsolete) Synonym of withdraught (“a dismissal of a lawsuit with prejudice based on a plaintiff's withdrawal of the suit; a retraxit; also, a fine imposed on a plaintiff for such a dismissal”).

Synonyms

retreat

retire

retract

remove

pull back

draw back

take back

recede

pull out

leave

extract

cancel

move back

revoke

draw

recall

depart

clear

take out

go away

take away

back out

fall back

move away

recant

draw off

resign

repeal

annul

secede

abstract

crawfish out

separate

unsay

evacuate

step back

take

bow out

crawfish

backpedal

pull away

disappear

rescind

march off

shrink

countermand

draw out

back away

disengage

abolish

yield

call back

renege on

desert

🏜️

call in

retrieve

call off

devalue

die

💀

run away

seclude

stop

🛑

sequester

sequestrate

go back on

back down

cease

back off

swallow

hesitate

inflate

draw in

abandon

move

collect

adjourn

drop

contract

pass away

move backwards

move off

pull

shrink from

escape

expire

decline

pull in one’s horns

recover

reduce

fall off

break away

back

🔙

remit

renege

reprint

resume

retrograde

retrogress

return

reverse

rise

send back

shell

🐚

shoot

shorten

stand back

stand up

stir

strip

subside

take down

take from

take in

take up

tear off

throw

place back

unearth

uproot

vacate

wean

wipe out

worm

🪱

yank

to take off

break camp

come closer

flinch from

jerk away

remove from

resile

stand down

take aside

take refuge

unsheath

appear before

unwatering

leave something

demonetise

go away from

draw money

draw something back

make a withdrawal

secede from

schismatize

unsanctify

draw-off

become separate

be told off

separate oneself

pull back suddenly

search

abrogate

absorb

abstraction

administer

admit

adopt

approach

assume

avoid

backslide

back up

backward

bend

budge

cancellation

carry

cash in

chop off

clean

clear out

concede

cringe

decease

deduct

delve

demonetize

deny

desist

detach

dig up

disclaim

discount

disembarrass

disembroil

disperse

dodge

drawer

drink

🥤

droop

drop out

duck

🦆

ebb away

elicit

evade

excuse

extraction

extricate

fiddle

fire

🔥

flee

forbid

forsake

forswear

get a lift

get out

get up

give back

give up

glean

go back

go separate ways

grab

halt

haul

help

huddle

hull

inch

invalidate

keep back

loosen

lower

nullify

overrule

overturn

pare off

pick up

pull down

pull in

pull off

pumping

quash

quit

recapture

recoil

refrain

refuse

regress

rejection

release

Translations

retirer

enlever

terugtrekken

sacar

retirar

intrekken

zurückziehen

retirarse

terugnemen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/wɪðˈdɹɔː/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: withdrawen

In summary

PIE word
*wí
From Middle English withdrawen, withdrauen (“to depart, leave, move away; (reflexive) to go away; (reflexive) to leave someone’s service; (often reflexive) to draw back or retreat (from a battlefield or dangerous place), withdraw; to abandon, desert; to go, go forth; to move; of the sea, water, etc.: to (cause to) ebb, recede, subside; to disappear; to slacken, wane; (often reflexive) to cease, stop; to desist, refrain; (reflexive) to go back on, recant; to avoid, eschew; to bring under control, contain, suppress; to curb, curtail; to delay, put off; to demur, refuse; to carry or take away, deprive of, remove; to contract, draw away or in, retract; to deny, refuse; to revoke; to withhold; to divert; to separate; to adopt, borrow, imitate”) [and other forms], from with- (prefix meaning ‘away; back’) + drawen, drauen (“to drag, pull, tow, tug, draw [and other senses]”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰregʰ- (“to drag, pull; to run”)); see further at with- and draw. The English word is analysable as with- + draw.