1
: a refund of duties especially on an imported product subsequently exported or used to produce a product for export
2
: an objectionable feature : disadvantage
The plan's only drawback is its cost.
drew back; drawn back; drawing back; draws back
: to avoid an issue or commitment
Synonyms
Examples of drawback in a Sentence
Noun
The trip sounds great, but cost is a major drawback.
this plan has only one drawback: it's unworkable
Recent Examples on the Web
Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Another drawback is potentially damaging your professional reputation.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The only drawback is not being able to be at every stage at the same time.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 Apr. 2024
But Take Note The main drawback of the Nurture Smart Baby Crib Mobile is that all those amazing features are going to cost you a pretty penny.
—Bridget Shirvell, Parents, 26 Mar. 2024
Other drawbacks of the drugs include side effects like nausea and gastrointestinal issues, as well as the way they are administered — patients have to inject themselves with the drugs once a week.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Ultimately, doctors said more robust research needs to be done to explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of following an intermittent fasting diet for cardiovascular health.
—Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 22 Mar. 2024
Each has its own appeal, benefits, and drawback, but ultimately the choice depends on this fact: the history of the space.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
Scientists have long voiced concerns about the drawbacks of these kinds of large language models, which are trained on troves of text pulled from the internet and prone to spitting out answers that are inaccurate and illogical.
—Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Elena Moore, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Following Hamas’s October 7 attack, however, the United States was abruptly and unexpectedly drawn back into the region.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
When Izi's son falls ill, he's drawn back into a life of crime with a heist that promises to change their lives forever.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The Best Picture nominee finds the trio drawn back together following the death of Penn's daughter, Kate (Emmy Rossum) — and things only get more devastating from there.
—Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024
In one prominent case, Mr. Jeffries’s condo would be drawn back into his Brooklyn district.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Without Vlasic, Kyle Burroughs will draw back into the lineup as the Sharks hope to earn their first victory in three games.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Aleksander Barkov on the third line After missing the past three games with an unspecified lower-body injury, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov drew back into the lineup on Wednesday.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
The workers drew back the curtains, and the desert sun poured in.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
Noun
The only drawback to finding some humanity in the District would be that directors might become less eager to annihilate it.
—Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
Another drawback is potentially damaging your professional reputation.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The only drawback is not being able to be at every stage at the same time.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 15 Apr. 2024
But Take Note The main drawback of the Nurture Smart Baby Crib Mobile is that all those amazing features are going to cost you a pretty penny.
—Bridget Shirvell, Parents, 26 Mar. 2024
Other drawbacks of the drugs include side effects like nausea and gastrointestinal issues, as well as the way they are administered — patients have to inject themselves with the drugs once a week.
—Gina Kolata, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Ultimately, doctors said more robust research needs to be done to explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of following an intermittent fasting diet for cardiovascular health.
—Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 22 Mar. 2024
Each has its own appeal, benefits, and drawback, but ultimately the choice depends on this fact: the history of the space.
—Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
Scientists have long voiced concerns about the drawbacks of these kinds of large language models, which are trained on troves of text pulled from the internet and prone to spitting out answers that are inaccurate and illogical.
—Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
When thinking about avenues to mend some of today's divisions, alums of the Sanders 2020 campaign draw back on Biden's willingness to collaborate four years ago.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Following Hamas’s October 7 attack, however, the United States was abruptly and unexpectedly drawn back into the region.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
When Izi's son falls ill, he's drawn back into a life of crime with a heist that promises to change their lives forever.
—Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The Best Picture nominee finds the trio drawn back together following the death of Penn's daughter, Kate (Emmy Rossum) — and things only get more devastating from there.
—Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2024
In one prominent case, Mr. Jeffries’s condo would be drawn back into his Brooklyn district.
—Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Without Vlasic, Kyle Burroughs will draw back into the lineup as the Sharks hope to earn their first victory in three games.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Aleksander Barkov on the third line After missing the past three games with an unspecified lower-body injury, Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov drew back into the lineup on Wednesday.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
The workers drew back the curtains, and the desert sun poured in.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drawback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near drawback
Cite this Entry
“Drawback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drawback. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drawback
noun
draw·back
ˈdrȯ-ˌbak 
: an undesirable feature : disadvantage entry 1
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