Withdraw

How to spell withdraw

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce withdraw

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does withdraw mean?

1. verbTo take something or someone back, remove it, or move away from a place or situation.
2. verbTo take money out of a bank account or financial holding.

Withdraw in a sentence

• The general ordered the troops to withdraw from the border.

• He had to withdraw cash from the machine before the shop closed.

• She decided to withdraw her application before the deadline.

• You can withdraw up to a fixed amount each day from this account.

Where does withdraw come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound, built from the Old English preposition and prefix 'wiþ', which in older usage meant 'back' or 'against' rather than the modern 'with', joined to the verb 'dragan', meaning 'to drag or pull'. So the literal idea behind it is to pull something back or draw it away, and that core image still governs every modern sense, whether pulling troops back from a battlefield or pulling money back out of an account. The word took shape in Middle English around the 1200s, originally meaning to take back or remove. Both halves are thoroughly Germanic, and the 'draw' element is the very same verb seen in drawing a sword or drawing curtains. The spelling trap is purely the join: 'with' plus 'draw' written as one solid word, with no doubled letters and no hidden vowel, even though the two pieces feel separate when spoken.

How the word is built

• with- (back, away)
• draw (to pull or drag)