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REFERENCE

withdraw

v.
US //wɪðˈdɹɔ// UK //wɪðdɹˈɔː// with·draw
Irregular verb past withdrew past participle withdrawn
  1. 1 to take out money (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Finance

    to take money out of a bank account.

    to extract funds from a financial institution or account. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the currency or amount.

    Example

    I need to find an ATM so I can withdraw some cash for the market.

    Example

    The investor decided to withdraw his capital from the venture after the quarterly report revealed significant structural deficits.
  2. 2 to pull back or remove (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to move something back or take it away from a place.

    to pull or draw something back from a fixed position or to remove support or presence.

    Example

    The company decided to withdraw the product from shops because of a safety problem.

    Example

    The general ordered the troops to withdraw from the border to avoid further escalating the diplomatic crisis.
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  1. 3 to take back a statement (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    to say that something you said before is no longer true or official.

    to formally retract a statement, accusation, or offer. Often used in legal or official contexts.

    Example

    The witness was asked to withdraw his comment after the lawyer complained.

    Example

    Under intense pressure from the board, the spokesperson was forced to withdraw her previous remarks regarding the merger.
  2. 4 to leave or go away (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to leave a room or a group of people, often to be alone or go somewhere quiet.

    to move away from a social situation or a specific location to a more private one. Often takes the preposition 'to' or 'from'.

    Example

    After dinner, the guests withdrew to the garden for coffee.

    Example

    Feeling overwhelmed by the noise of the gala, she quietly withdrew to the library to recover her composure.
  3. 5 to stop an addiction (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Medicine

    to stop taking a drug or alcohol that your body is used to.

    to cease the consumption of an addictive substance and experience the resulting physiological distress.

    Example

    It can be very dangerous to withdraw from certain medications without a doctor's help.

    Example

    The clinical protocol ensures that patients withdraw from the heavy sedative gradually to minimize the risk of seizures.
Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

From Middle English withdrawe (“act of stopping a judicial proceeding”), from withdrawen, withdrauen (verb): see etymology 1.

Word family

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