Withdraw

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /wɪðˈdɹɔː/

Definitions

1. To remove oneself from a situation or place, or to take something back that was previously given or stated
2. To retreat from a location or circumstance, or to retract an offer or statement that has been made
3. To pull away from engagement in an activity or environment, or to take back an item or assertion that was once provided

Etymology: The verb "withdraw" is a plain compound: the prefix "with-", meaning "away" or "back", joined to "draw". In Middle English the combined form "withdrauen" was already loaded with a wide range of senses. Its reflexive uses meant to go away, to leave someone's service, or to retreat from a battlefield, and it could describe the sea drawing back from the shore. Those physical meanings of pulling away sat alongside more abstract ones, such as to recant, to refuse, or to suppress. The old roots are the same ones behind "draw" itself. The verb "drawen" meant to drag, pull, or tow, and it traces back to a prehistoric root meaning to drag or pull. Over time the abstract senses of "withdraw" grew stronger than the physical ones, and today the word mostly describes stepping back from a position, a commitment, or a place.

Synonyms: remove, retract, pull back, take out, extract

Antonyms: deposit, add, insert, include, contribute