withdraw

verb

with·​draw wit͟h-ˈdrȯ 

with-

withdrew wit͟h-ˈdrü 

with-

; withdrawn wit͟h-ˈdrȯn 

with-

; withdrawing wit͟h-ˈdrȯ(-)iŋ 

with-

transitive verb

1

a

: to take back or away : remove

pressure upon educational administrators to withdraw academic credit

—J. W. Scott

b

: to remove from use or cultivation

c

: to remove (money) from a place of deposit

d

: to turn away (something, such as one's eyes) from an object of attention

withdrew her gaze

e

: to draw (something, such as a curtain) back or aside

2

a

: to remove from consideration or set outside a group

withdrew his name from the list of nominees

withdrew their child from the school

b(1)

: take back, retract

(2)

: to recall or remove (a motion) under parliamentary procedure

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move back or away : retire

b

: to draw back from a battlefield : retreat

2

a

: to remove oneself from participation

b

: to become socially or emotionally detached

had withdrawn farther and farther into herself

—Ethel Wilson

3

: to recall a motion under parliamentary procedure

withdrawable

wit͟h-ˈdrȯ-ə-bəl 

with-

adjective

Synonyms

• back away
• drop back
• fall back
• pull out
• recede
• retire
• retreat

Examples of withdraw in a Sentence

She withdrew $200 from her checking account.

The prosecutor withdrew her question to the witness.

They have withdrawn the charges.

withdraw support for a candidate

Recent Examples on the Web

The military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn Yoon’s decree, forcing his Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. —Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024

Throughout the day Saturday, as the rebel forces were on the move, the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern Syria, leaving more areas of the country, including two provincial capitals, under the control of the rebels, according to the military and an opposition war monitor. —Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024

The military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn Yoon's declaration of martial law, forcing him to lift it just hours after it was issued. —Landon Mion, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2024

On Thursday, the company withdrew the change in response to the public outrage, if only in Connecticut, for now. —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from with from + drawen to draw

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

withdraw

verb

with·​draw wit͟h-ˈdrȯ 

with-

withdrew -ˈdrü  ; withdrawn -ˈdrȯn  ; withdrawing -ˈdrȯ(-)iŋ 

1

: to take back or away : draw away : remove

withdraw money from the bank

2

a

: to call back : recall

withdrew the charge of theft

b

: to take back (one's words) : retract

3

: to go away : retreat

withdrew to the country

Medical Definition

withdraw

verb

with·​draw wit͟h-ˈdrȯ  with- 

withdrew -ˈdrü  ; withdrawn -ˈdrȯn  ; withdrawing -ˈdrȯ(-)iŋ 

transitive verb

: to discontinue use or administration of

withdraw a drug

intransitive verb

: to become socially or emotionally detached

Legal Definition

withdraw

verb

with·​draw

withdrew; withdrawn; withdrawing

transitive verb

1

: to remove (money) from a place of deposit or investment

2

: to dismiss (a juror) from a jury

3

a

: to eliminate from consideration or set outside a category or group

withdraw his candidacy

b

: to cease to proceed with

withdrew the question after an objection was sustained

c

: to take back

withdraw a plea

d

: to remove (a motion) from consideration under parliamentary procedure

intransitive verb

1

: to remove oneself from participation

withdraw from a case

specifically : to cease participation in a conspiracy by an affirmative act of renunciation especially involving confession to the authorities or communication of abandonment to co-conspirators

2

: to remove a motion from consideration under parliamentary procedure