withdraw

with·draw

verb \with-ˈdrȯ, with-\

with·drew\-ˈdrü\with·drawn\-ˈdrȯn\with·draw·ing\-ˈdrȯ(-)iŋ\

Definition of WITHDRAW

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 (as the eyes) from an object of attention <withdrew her gaze> e : to draw (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had withdrawn farther and farther into herself — Ethel Wilson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

— with·draw·able \-ˈdrȯ-ə-bəl\ adjective

Examples of WITHDRAW

1. She withdrew $200 from her checking account.
2. The prosecutor withdrew her question to the witness.
3. They have withdrawn the charges.
4. withdraw support for a candidate

Origin of WITHDRAW

Middle English, from with from + drawen to draw

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to WITHDRAW

Synonyms: back away, drop back, fall back, pull out, recede, retire, retreat

Antonyms: advance

Related Words: flee, fly; flinch, recoil, shrink; chicken (out); bow out; back down, backpedal, backtrack, climb down; detach, disengage, disentangle, pull away; abandon, depart, evacuate, go, leave, quit, vacate

Near Antonyms: beard, brave, brazen, breast, confront, dare, defy, face, outbrave

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with WITHDRAW

backsaw, band saw, bear claw, bedstraw, blue law, bucksaw, buzz saw, bylaw, case law, catclaw, cat's-paw, chain saw, Choctaw, coleslaw, Corn Law, crenshaw, cumshaw, cushaw, Danelaw, declaw, Esau, forepaw, fretsaw, glass jaw, grandma, grandpa, guffaw, hacksaw, handsaw, hawkshaw, hee-haw, hurrah, in-law, jackdaw, jackstraw, jigsaw, kickshaw, last straw, leash law, lockjaw, lynch law, macaw, Moose Jaw, Nassau, old-squaw, outdraw, outlaw, pasha, pawpaw, pit saw, pooh-bah, poor law, rickshaw, ringtaw, ripsaw, scofflaw, scrimshaw, scroll saw, seesaw, shield law, southpaw, Skiddaw, tack claw, trishaw, tussah, undraw, Utah, Warsaw, whipsaw, wiredraw