c.1225, "to take back," from with "away" + drawen "to draw," possibly a loan-translation of L. retrahere "to retract." Sense of "to remove oneself" is recorded from c.1300. Withdrawal is first attested 1824. Reference to addictive drugs is first found in 1897, not common until 1920s.
pull back or move away or backward; "The enemy withdrew"; "The limo pulled away from the curb" [ant: advance]
2.
withdraw from active participation; "He retired from chess" [syn: retire]
3.
release from something that holds fast, connects, or entangles; "I want to disengage myself from his influence"; "disengage the gears" [syn: disengage] [ant: engage]
4.
cause to be returned; "recall the defective auto tires"; "The manufacturer tried to call back the spoilt yoghurt" [syn: recall]
5.
take back what one has said; "He swallowed his words" [syn: swallow]
6.
keep away from others; "He sequestered himself in his study to write a book" [syn: seclude]
7.
break from a meeting or gathering; "We adjourned for lunch"; "The men retired to the library" [syn: adjourn]
8.
retire gracefully; "He bowed out when he realized he could no longer handle the demands of the chairmanship" [syn: bow out]
9.
remove (a commodity) from (a supply source); "She drew $2,000 from the account"; "The doctors drew medical supplies from the hospital's emergency bank" [ant: bank]
10.
lose interest; "he retired from life when his wife died" [syn: retire]
11.
make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity; "We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him"; "He backed out of his earlier promise"; "The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns" [syn: retreat]
12.
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment" [syn: remove]
Main Entry: with·draw Pronunciation: with-'dro, with- Function: verb Inflected Forms: with·drew/-'drü/;
with·drawn/-'dron/; with·draw·ing/-'dro(-)i[ng]/ transitive senses : to discontinue use or administration of
<withdraw a drug> withdrawintransitive senses : to become socially or emotionally detached
Main Entry: with·draw Function: verb Inflected Forms: -drew; -drawn; -draw·ing 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 esp. involving confession to the authorities or communication of abandonment to
co-conspirators 2: to remove a motion from consideration under parliamentary procedure
With\, prep. [OE. with, AS. wi? with, against; akin to AS. wi?er against, OFries. with, OS. wi?, wi?ar, D. weder, we[^e]r (in comp.), G. wider against, wieder gain, OHG. widar again, against, Icel. vi? against, with, by, at, Sw. vid at, by, Dan. ved, Goth. wipra against, Skr. vi asunder. Cf. Withdraw, Withers, Withstand.] With denotes or expresses some situation or relation of nearness, proximity, association, connection, or the like. It is used especially: 1. To denote a close or direct relation of opposition or hostility; -- equivalent to against. Thy servant will . . . fight with this Philistine. --1 Sam. xvii. 32. Note: In this sense, common in Old English, it is now obsolete except in a few compounds; as, withhold; withstand; and after the verbs fight, contend, struggle, and the like. 2. To denote association in respect of situation or environment; hence, among; in the company of. I will buy with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you. --Shak. Pity your own, or pity our estate, Nor twist our fortunes with your sinking fate. --Dryden. See where on earth the flowery glories lie; With her they flourished, and with her they die. --Pope. There is no living with thee nor without thee. --Tatler. Such arguments had invincible force with those pagan philosophers. --Addison. 3. To denote a connection of friendship, support, alliance, assistance, countenance, etc.; hence, on the side of. Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee. --Gen. xxvi. 24. 4. To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; -- sometimes equivalent to by. That with these fowls I be all to-rent. --Chaucer. Thou wilt be like a lover presently, And tire the hearer with a book of words. --Shak. [He] entertained a coffeehouse with the following narrative. --Addison. With receiving your friends within and amusing them without, you lead a good, pleasant, bustling life of it. --Goldsmith. 5. To denote association in thought, as for comparison or contrast. Can blazing carbuncles with her compare. --Sandys. 6. To denote simultaneous happening, or immediate succession or consequence. With that she told me . . . that she would hide no truth from me. --Sir P. Sidney. With her they flourished, and with her they die. --Pope. With this he pointed to his face. --Dryden. 7. To denote having as a possession or an appendage; as, the firmament with its stars; a bride with a large fortune. "A maid with clean hands." --Shak. Note: With and by are closely allied in many of their uses, and it is not easy to lay down a rule by which to distinguish their uses. See the Note under By.
With*draw"\ (w[i^][th]*dr[add]"), v. t. [imp. Withdrew (-dr[udd]"); p. p. Withdrawn (-dr[add]n"); p. pr. & vb. n. Withdrawing.] [With against + draw.]1. To take back or away, as what has been bestowed or enjoyed; to draw back; to cause to move away or retire; as, to withdraw aid, favor, capital, or the like. Impossible it is that God should withdraw his presence from anything. --Hooker. 2. To take back; to recall or retract; as, to withdraw false charges.
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Audio Help [with-draw, with-] Pronunciation Key verb, -drew, -drawn, -draw·ing. 
