withdrawal

IPA/wɪðˈdrɔːəl/
KK[wɪðdrˈɔəl]IPA/wɪðˈdrɔːəl/

withdrawal — noun

  • withdrawalsingular
  • withdrawalsplural

1. the act of getting cash or funds from your bank account, which reduces the amoun

1.nounB1
Definition

the act of getting cash or funds from your bank account, which reduces the amount you have saved there

Example

Mizuki went to the bank to make a withdrawal from her savings account before the trip.

make a withdrawal from [account]

The bank limits daily cash withdrawals to five hundred dollars for security reasons.

cash withdrawal + daily limit

Common collocations
  • make a withdrawal
  • cash withdrawal
  • bank withdrawal
  • daily withdrawal limit
  • minimum withdrawal
Synonyms
  • taking out

    less formal, used in everyday speech

  • removal

    more general; not specific to banking

Antonyms
  • deposit

    putting money into an account

Grammar Patterns

make a withdrawal

withdrawal from [account]

Usage Note

Often used with 'make' (make a withdrawal) or 'do' (do a withdrawal). A withdrawal reduces the balance of the account. For putting money in, use 'deposit'.

Common Mistakes

I need to do a withdraw from my account.
I need to make a withdrawal from my account.
'withdrawal' is a noun; 'withdraw' is the verb form.
I made a withdrawal of my account.
I made a withdrawal from my account.
use 'from' (not 'of') when stating which account.

2. the situation when soldiers or armed units leave a place where they had been pos

2.nounB2
Definition

the situation when soldiers or armed units leave a place where they had been positioned or engaged in combat

Example

The government announced the withdrawal of all troops from the border region by the end of the month.

withdrawal of [troops] from [region]

Reuben served in the army and remembers the difficult withdrawal from the mountainous area.

difficult withdrawal from [area]

Common collocations
  • troop withdrawal
  • military withdrawal
  • withdrawal from a region
  • order a withdrawal
  • complete a withdrawal
Synonyms
  • retreat

    usually suggests moving away from an enemy under pressure, often less planned

  • pullout

    less formal, often used in news headlines

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

withdrawal of [forces] from [place]

announce a withdrawal

Usage Note

Frequently used in news and political discussion. Can describe either a planned exit or a forced retreat. Often paired with 'order' (order a withdrawal) or 'announce' (announce a withdrawal).

Common Mistakes

The withdrawal of troops were completed.
The withdrawal of troops was completed.
'withdrawal' is singular; use 'was'.
The army made a withdrawal from the battle.
The army carried out a withdrawal from the battle zone.
'carry out' or 'conduct' is more natural in a military context than 'make'.

3. happens when something is pulled back or taken away from where it was, or when a

3.nounB2
Definition

happens when something is pulled back or taken away from where it was, or when a person decides to stop taking part in an activity or being part of a group

Example

The withdrawal of financial support left the community centre unable to pay its staff.

withdrawal of [financial support]

Linh announced her withdrawal from the race after the second round of voting.

withdrawal from [competition]

Common collocations
  • withdrawal of support
  • withdrawal from a competition
  • withdrawal of an offer
  • announce a withdrawal
  • withdrawal from an agreement
Synonyms
  • removal

    focuses on the physical taking-away aspect

  • exit

    focuses on leaving a situation or group

  • pullout

    informal, often used for leaving an agreement or event

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

withdrawal of [support/privilege]

withdrawal from [competition/organization]

Usage Note

This sense covers two related ideas: removing something (withdrawing an offer, a product, or support) and stepping away from something (withdrawing from a competition, an agreement, or a group). The context tells you which meaning applies.

Common Mistakes

His withdrawal of the competition surprised everyone.
His withdrawal from the competition surprised everyone.
use 'from' when leaving an activity or group, and 'of' when removing something.

4. a type of behaviour in which a person keeps to themselves, avoiding contact and

4.nounB2
Definition

a type of behaviour in which a person keeps to themselves, avoiding contact and conversation with other people

Example

After losing her job, Beatriz went through a period of social withdrawal and hardly left her apartment.

social withdrawal + period of

Teachers noticed the child's growing withdrawal from classmates and referred her to the school counsellor.

withdrawal from [people]

Common collocations
  • social withdrawal
  • emotional withdrawal
  • withdrawal from others
  • deep withdrawal
  • period of withdrawal
Synonyms
  • isolation

    focuses on being physically alone; can be forced or chosen

  • detachment

    suggests an emotional distance, not necessarily physical isolation

  • seclusion

    staying away from others, often by choice

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

social withdrawal

emotional withdrawal

withdrawal from [people/society]

Usage Note

Common in psychology and mental health contexts. Unlike Sense 3 (which is about stopping an activity voluntarily), this sense describes a psychological state where a person actively avoids human connection.

Common Mistakes

He made a withdrawal from his friends.
He showed signs of withdrawal from his friends.
use 'show signs of' or 'go through' rather than 'make a withdrawal' for social situations.

5. the unpleasant physical and mental effects that a person experiences when they s

5.nounB2
Definition

the unpleasant physical and mental effects that a person experiences when they stop taking an addictive drug or substance that their body has become dependent on

Example

Sana suffered from severe withdrawal symptoms when she stopped taking the pain medication.

withdrawal symptoms + suffer from

The clinic offers medical support to help patients manage withdrawal in a safe environment.

manage withdrawal

Common collocations
  • withdrawal symptoms
  • go through withdrawal
  • suffer from withdrawal
  • withdrawal period
  • manage withdrawal
  • caffeine withdrawal
Synonyms
  • detoxification

    formal, medical term for the process of removing a substance from the body

  • abstinence syndrome

    clinical term for the set of symptoms that occur when stopping a drug

Grammar Patterns

go through withdrawal

withdrawal symptoms

suffer from withdrawal

Usage Note

Often appears in the plural form 'withdrawal symptoms' to describe specific physical or psychological reactions such as sweating, shaking, anxiety, or nausea. The noun 'withdrawal' alone can refer to the whole period of stopping the substance.

Common Mistakes

He has a withdrawal from coffee.
He is going through caffeine withdrawal.
specify the substance as a modifier (coffee withdrawal / caffeine withdrawal) rather than using 'withdrawal from' for non-addictive contexts.
Withdraw symptoms are very painful.
Withdrawal symptoms are very painful.
keep the '-al' in the noun form when used as a modifier.

6. the act of formally saying that something you previously said or wrote is no lon

6.nounC1
Definition

the act of formally saying that something you previously said or wrote is no longer true or should not be believed

Example

The newspaper issued a full withdrawal of the article after discovering the facts were wrong.

withdrawal of [article] + issue a withdrawal

Élise demanded a public withdrawal of the false accusations made against her team.

demand a withdrawal of [accusations]

Common collocations
  • withdrawal of a statement
  • issue a withdrawal
  • demand a withdrawal
  • public withdrawal
  • formal withdrawal
  • withdrawal of remarks
Synonyms
  • retraction

    more common in journalism and publishing; often used for printed corrections

  • recantation

    formal; specifically means taking back a belief or opinion publicly

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

withdrawal of [statement/claim]

demand a withdrawal

issue a withdrawal

Usage Note

Common in legal, journalistic, and formal contexts. A withdrawal of a statement is more serious than simply correcting it — it means declaring that the original statement should be treated as if it was never made. 'Retraction' is a close synonym but is more common in publishing contexts.

Common Mistakes

He made a withdrawal of his words.
He issued a formal withdrawal of his statement.
use 'issue' or 'demand' rather than the general 'make', and specify 'formal' to show it is an official act.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Withdrawal' (sense 1) specifically refers to taking money out of an account, reducing the balance. Its opposite is 'deposit', which means putting money in and increasing the balance. 'Transfer' is different — it moves money from one account to another without taking it out of the banking system entirely. 'Payment' sends money to another person or business, which may involve a withdrawal if the money leaves your account, but the focus of 'payment' is on settling a debt or purchasing something rather than on removing funds for your own use. For example: 'I made a withdrawal from my savings account to buy a used car' focuses on removing cash, while 'I made a payment to the car seller' focuses on where the money went.

withdrawal ↗deposit ↗transfer ↗payment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • make a withdrawal
  • go through withdrawal
  • issue a withdrawal
  • withdrawal from
  • withdrawal of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Withdrawal' is formed by adding the suffix '-al' to the verb 'withdraw', turning the action into a noun. 'Withdraw' comes from Middle English 'withdrawen', which combined 'with-' (meaning 'away, against') and 'drawen' (meaning 'to pull'). The original idea was 'to pull away'. This sense of pulling back or away is still present in all six modern meanings, whether the thing being pulled is money, troops, a statement, or a person's social engagement.