drawdown

1 of 2

noun

draw·​down ˈdrȯ-ˌdau̇n 

1

: a lowering of a water level (as in a reservoir)

2

a

: the process of depleting

b

: reduction

draw down

2 of 2

verb

ˌdrȯ-ˈdau̇n 

drew down; drawn down; drawing down; draws down

transitive verb

: to deplete by using or spending

Synonyms of drawdown

Verb

• spend
• consume
• drain
• exhaust
• play out
• reduce
• use up
• run out of
• use
• absorb
• burn

Examples of drawdown in a Sentence

Verb

I drew down my bank account just paying for tuition.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Demand has significantly exceeded supply for the last 26 years, forcing the drawdown of the watershed’s big savings accounts, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, to about one-third of their capacity. —Jonathan Thompson, Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2026

Oil jumps despite record draw On Wednesday, more than 30 countries in the International Energy Agency agreed to the biggest-ever coordinated drawdown of global oil reserves of 400 million barrels, about 40% of which will come from the United States. —Timothy Gardner, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026

Verb

One point of friction is a gimmick that California and other states use to maximize federal funds — special taxes on health care providers, which are used to draw down more federal matching payments in return for state promises to offset the taxes with additional reimbursements to providers. —Dan Walters, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026

The problem is more acute for savers who expect to draw down from their portfolio soon. —Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1910, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1853, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drawdown

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown
• knockdown