withdrawal

[with-draw-uhl, -drawl, with-]

noun

1. Also withdrawment. the act or condition of withdrawing.

2. Pharmacology.,  the act or process of ceasing to use an addictive drug.

3. coitus interruptus.

withdrawal

/ wɪðˈdrɔːəl /

noun

1. an act or process of withdrawing; retreat, removal, or detachment

2. the period a drug addict goes through following abrupt termination in the use of narcotics, usually characterized by physical and mental symptoms ( withdrawal symptoms )

withdrawal

1. Discontinuation of the use of an addictive substance. The symptoms of withdrawal include headache, diarrhea, and tremors and can range from mild to life threatening, depending on the extent of the body's reliance on the addictive substance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of withdrawal¹

First recorded in 1740–50; withdraw + -al ²

Example Sentences

Drawing out American withdrawal from Vietnam did more than prevent the pre-election collapse of Saigon, Nixon’s shot at a second term and Kissinger’s chance to become secretary of state.

Read more on Salon

In a country where “consumption downgrade” has become a buzzword, the rise of spiritual consumption represents not withdrawal but reorientation.

Read more on Barron's

One of the main political groups behind the withdrawal is Latvia First, whose leader Ainars Slesers has called on Latvians to choose between a "natural family" and a "gender ideology with multiple sexes".

Read more on BBC

He said Lebanon would continue pressing the United Nations and ceasefire guarantors "to ensure a halt to the repeated violations and the implementation of a complete Israeli withdrawal from our lands".

Read more on BBC

Prosecutors and officials have since offered conflicting accounts about whether a failure or unwillingness to label China as an active threat to national security led to the withdrawal of the charges.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• departure 
• disengagement 
• exit 
• exodus 
• resignation 
• retirement