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Synonyms

withdraw

American

[with-draw, with-] / wɪðˈdrɔ, wɪθ- /

verb (used with object)

to draw back, away, or aside; take back; remove.

She withdrew her hand from his. He withdrew his savings from the bank.
to retract or recall.

to withdraw an untrue charge.

Synonyms:

disavow, rescind, revoke
to cause (a person) to undergo withdrawal from addiction to a substance.

verb (used without object)

to go or move back, away, or aside; retire; retreat.

to withdraw from the room.
to remove oneself from some activity, competition, etc..

He withdrew before I could nominate him.
to cease using or consuming an addictive narcotic (followed byfrom ).

to withdraw from heroin.
Parliamentary Procedure. to remove an amendment, motion, etc., from consideration.

withdraw British

/ wɪðˈdrɔː /

verb

(tr) to take or draw back or away; remove
(tr) to remove from deposit or investment in a bank, building society, etc
(tr) to retract or recall (a statement, promise, etc)
(intr) to retire or retreat

the troops withdrew
to back out (of) or depart (from)

he withdrew from public life
(intr) to detach oneself socially, emotionally, or mentally

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See depart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of withdraw

First recorded in 1175–1225, withdraw is from the Middle English word withdrawen. See with-, draw

Explanation

To withdraw is to take something back or remove yourself from a situation. You might withdraw money from the bank or withdraw yourself from an argument if it gets out of hand. The word withdraw comes from Middle English and still means to draw or take back, like if you withdraw your hand when you’re done holding hands with someone. A newer definition of withdraw is to stay away from others or stop participating in something. You might withdraw from society by holing up in your house, or withdraw from school by dropping out. Another way to withdraw is to promise to do something but then change your mind.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing withdraw

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

withdraw withdraws withdrew withdrawn withdrawing

It did not threaten to withdraw that money.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

"They'll demand a certain amount of money," he said - usually amounting to a few hundred dollars - to withdraw the claim.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

After all, if you did withdraw 4% of that $1.53 million, you would get around $61,000 a year, or about $5,000 a month.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Most non-spouse heirs of traditional IRAs have 10 years to withdraw the funds, and some must take annual RMDs during that period.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

On April 20,1970, he announced he would withdraw another 150,000 troops from Vietnam.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

If she takes the full RMD in February and runs the QCD in November, she reports $40,000 of income but withdraws $55,000 overall.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

He said the deal takes "a step-by-step approach" meaning: "If there is verified decommissioning of weapons, that they are taken away from the factions and stored and ultimately rendered unusable, Israel then withdraws from Gaza."

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

If he withdraws by Monday, though, local Republican officials in his district could approve a new nominee.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026

They urged Democratic leaders to stick with a candidate who shares Platner’s working-class image if he withdraws — something Platner may hope to influence, the New York Times reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Then the anguish subsided for a moment, as water withdraws briefly to dash itself once more against the rocks: he knew that it subsided only to return.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

A day later, FDA scientists withdrew the finding.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

"Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday," the local government official told AFP, referring to an island also known as Perim.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Even Tarik Skubal, who withdrew from this year’s World Baseball Classic after one three-inning appearance, said he is all in for the Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

LIV Golf has filed for bankruptcy protection as it attempts to restructure after Saudi Arabia withdrew its multibillion-dollar funding - a move that means all its players will have the option to leave.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

All at once, the army of animals withdrew, and the Juggernaut continued sinking straight toward its target.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Your mother would not be restricted by the terms of the 529 plan, which comes with a 10% penalty and ordinary income tax if the funds are withdrawn for something other than educational expenses.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Midfielder Reggie Watson, making his debut at the age of 16, was also withdrawn at the break after being booked.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Just like Nat and Nik, Sam and Carly were told last month that their sperm donor had withdrawn consent and their 10 remaining embryos will be destroyed next year.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

In 2002, New Coke—by then called Coke II and nearly forgotten—was withdrawn from the market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

He’d been quiet and withdrawn when he picked me up from school.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

They are withdrawing from the real world into loneliness and helplessness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The council eventually agreed in May to delay implementation of the minimum wage increase by 18 months in exchange for the business coalition withdrawing the gross receipts measure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

I don’t want to worry about withdrawing heavily in the first 10 to 15 years of retirement with travel or buying a new home.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Sinner - as he did at Wimbledon - will go into the US Open with no match time on a hard court after withdrawing from Cincinnati with a knee injury.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

For him, she was the mother who let him get as close as he dreamed, the sister who wasn’t moody and withdrawing, and teary and tender-hearted.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023