# withdraw

/wɪðˈdɹɔ/ (US) · /wɪðdɹˈɔː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/withdraw
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to take out money

verb · CEFR B1

to take money out of a bank account.

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

- I need to find an ATM so I can withdraw some cash for the market.
- The investor decided to withdraw his capital from the venture after the quarterly report revealed significant structural deficits.

### 2. to pull back or remove

verb · CEFR B2

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

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

- The company decided to withdraw the product from shops because of a safety problem.
- The general ordered the troops to withdraw from the border to avoid further escalating the diplomatic crisis.

### 3. to take back a statement

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

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

- The witness was asked to withdraw his comment after the lawyer complained.
- Under intense pressure from the board, the spokesperson was forced to withdraw her previous remarks regarding the merger.

### 4. to leave or go away

verb · CEFR B2

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

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

- After dinner, the guests withdrew to the garden for coffee.
- Feeling overwhelmed by the noise of the gala, she quietly withdrew to the library to recover her composure.

### 6. to stop an addiction

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

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

- It can be very dangerous to withdraw from certain medications without a doctor's help.
- The clinical protocol ensures that patients withdraw from the heavy sedative gradually to minimize the risk of seizures.

## Examples

- I need to withdraw some cash from the ATM.
- The company decided to withdraw its latest product from the market after discovering a minor safety defect.
- Following the collapse of diplomatic negotiations, the general ordered the infantry to withdraw to the secondary defensive line to avoid being surrounded by the advancing enemy forces.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.