Link Centre Dictionary

withdraw

withd·raw

UK/wɪðˈdɹɔː/ US/wɪθˈdɹɔː/ fairly common

verb

1.

pull back or move away or backward

  • “The enemy withdrew”
  • “The limo pulled away from the curb”
Synonyms
2.

withdraw from active participation

  • “He retired from chess”
Synonyms
3.

release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles

  • “I want to disengage myself from his influence”
  • “disengage the gears”
Synonyms
Antonyms
4.

cause to be returned

  • “recall the defective auto tires”
  • “The manufacturer tried to call back the spoilt yoghurt”
Synonyms
5.

take back what one has said

  • “He swallowed his words”
Synonyms
6.

keep away from others

  • “He sequestered himself in his study to write a book”
Synonyms
7.

remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

  • “remove a threat”
  • “remove a wrapper”
  • “Remove the dirty dishes from the table”
  • “take the gun from your pocket”
  • “This machine withdraws heat from the environment”
Synonyms
8.

break from a meeting or gathering

  • “We adjourned for lunch”
  • “The men retired to the library”
Synonyms
9.

retire gracefully

  • “He bowed out when he realized he could no longer handle the demands of the chairmanship”
Synonyms
10.

remove (a commodity) from (a supply source)

  • “She drew $2,000 from the account”
  • “The doctors drew medical supplies from the hospital”
Synonyms
Antonyms
11.

lose interest

  • “he retired from life when his wife died”
Synonyms
12.

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • withdrawing room

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Related verbs

Entails

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.