as in spending
to make complete use of
I drew down my bank account just paying for tuition
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Recent Examples of drawing down
Those two factors caused the program to start drawing down its reserves around 2009, much sooner than had been projected in 2021 and 2022, according to Nuñez.
—
Lorie Konish, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
Unlike younger workers who can adjust their savings rate or delay retirement to recover from market downturns, retirees drawing down their portfolios need immediate access to funds.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
According to federal guidance, all states drawing down child care funds must now certify their fraud prevention measures and provide a strong justification of how funds will be used, including a breakdown by spending category.
—Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
The decline in the measure reflected producers drawing down their raw materials inventories at the fastest rate since October 2024.
—Reade Pickert Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
That will allow the state to begin drawing down the money and officially moving on with the project.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
In that case, the city could begin drawing down its nonrenewable water resources, which isn’t sustainable in the long term, legally or physically, according to officials.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 12 Nov. 2025
The couple moved to North Carolina from Camp Pendleton in California in September, drawing down their savings.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
An income bump could come from drawing down more money from retirement accounts than planned, landing a new customer account, or even from winning big at the casino.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
Lorie Konish, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
Unlike younger workers who can adjust their savings rate or delay retirement to recover from market downturns, retirees drawing down their portfolios need immediate access to funds.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
According to federal guidance, all states drawing down child care funds must now certify their fraud prevention measures and provide a strong justification of how funds will be used, including a breakdown by spending category.
—Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
The decline in the measure reflected producers drawing down their raw materials inventories at the fastest rate since October 2024.
—Reade Pickert Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026
That will allow the state to begin drawing down the money and officially moving on with the project.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
In that case, the city could begin drawing down its nonrenewable water resources, which isn’t sustainable in the long term, legally or physically, according to officials.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 12 Nov. 2025
The couple moved to North Carolina from Camp Pendleton in California in September, drawing down their savings.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
An income bump could come from drawing down more money from retirement accounts than planned, landing a new customer account, or even from winning big at the casino.
—Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drawing down
Verb
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The fiscal angst is most obvious in urban school districts, where enrollment declines are most severe and where unions are the strongest, often spending heavily to elect friendly school board members.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Pritzker’s $56 billion election-year budget plan represents one of the smallest increases in state spending the governor has proposed since the governor took office in 2019.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The selling pressure appears to be exhausting itself, setting the stage for a classic snap-back rally.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
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Still, investors in tech giants are growing nervous because these firms are essentially exhausting their available capital to fund the infrastructure buildout, according to Luria.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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To prevent this from happening again, repot the peace lily in fresh soil that is well-draining.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Wembanyama made a 3-pointer, but Raptors star Barnes ended it by draining his only shot of the game.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Fiber intake, in particular, showed a strong association with longevity, while consuming lots of sugary beverages was linked to higher all-cause mortality.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
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What’s more, in athletes, typical signs of an eating disorder, such as training for long hours without appropriate breaks for meals or obsessing about only consuming certain healthy foods, can be overlooked due to the normalization of these behaviors in high-level sports.—
Emily Hemendinger,
The Conversation,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These forces are colliding, and the consequences are playing out in markets, workplaces, and societies around the world.—
Alan H.H. Fleischmann,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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Nancy’s disappearance, in addition to playing out as television, has also played out through television.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Soon, some workers were using up what previously had been natural breaks during the day to prompt AI, eventually filling most of their time at the office with tasks.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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No bread allowed here; pudding is great for using up extra milk.—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In addition to the effects of the pandemic and tariffs, climate issues — drought in Vietnam, heavy rain in Indonesia, and hot, dry weather in Brazil — are blamed for reducing yields of coffee crops and driving up global prices.—
Matt Sedensky,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Coal ash is the residue left over from burning coal, typically produced at power plants.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
17 Feb. 2026
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People mostly hibernate in their wood-and-tin houses, burning firewood to brave the freezing cold.—
Omkar Khandekar,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drawing down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drawing%20down. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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