withdrawal
Americannoun
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Also withdrawment. the act or condition of withdrawing.
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Pharmacology. the act or process of ceasing to use an addictive drug.
noun
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an act or process of withdrawing; retreat, removal, or detachment
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the period a drug addict goes through following abrupt termination in the use of narcotics, usually characterized by physical and mental symptoms ( withdrawal symptoms )
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of withdrawal
Explanation
Withdrawal is when you take something out, like making a withdrawal from your bank account. When you announced you were no longer running for president, your withdrawal from the race disappointed your many supporters. Withdrawal is also used to describe the painful experience that results when you stop taking an addictive drug (when you "take it out" of your system). The state of being emotionally detached is called withdrawal. If a country terminates an agreement like a treaty, that's a withdrawal too. Remember that withdrawal ends in "wal" and not just "wl."
Vocabulary lists containing withdrawal
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr.
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I did not realise how I addicted I was until I was in withdrawal and I had to ask friends and family to keep my devices under lock and key," Jenny recalls.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
Without the Roth conversion, the funds are taxed as income at the time of withdrawal — in other words, if left to sit for decades, they are a tax bomb.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
Thousands of Kenyans protested against proposed tax hikes in June 2024, culminating in the storming of parliament and the eventual withdrawal of the controversial finance bill.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
Sometimes we require a period of withdrawal and re-entry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
Maisels explained the serious implications of such a withdrawal and the consequences of our conducting our own defense in a capital case.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
