WITHDRAWING Synonyms: 148 Similar and Opposite Words

withdrawing

verb

present participle of withdraw

as in retreating

to move back or away (as from something difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable) the army was forced to withdraw from the line of battle

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in retracting

to solemnly or formally reject or go back on (as something formerly adhered to) withdrew the offer of surrender upon hearing the terms

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in removing

to take away from a place or position withdrew her hand from the table

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of withdrawing In these situations, withdrawing into a literal or symbolic dark room—avoiding sources of stress and going to a safe place—can be adaptive in the short term. — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 After two decades of war, the US military was withdrawing from Afghanistan, and Kabul was falling. — Azadeh Moaveni, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 Bass pushed for a bill in the state Legislature that would have reduced taxes on apartment buildings but ended up withdrawing it. — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 San Antonio police have advised bank customers to stay alert when withdrawing cash and watch for anyone who may be following them. — Jacob Beltran, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026 The Republican governor did not provide a reason for withdrawing Thompson’s death warrant but had temporarily stayed his execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 The Republican governor did not provide a reason for withdrawing Thompson's death warrant but had temporarily stayed his execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Lawyers are not required to speak to their clients or take other basic investigative steps before withdrawing from cases by writing no-merit letters. — Samantha Melamed, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026 In withdrawing the fine, the league acknowledged the celebration involved an imaginary juice box, not an imaginary beer. — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for withdrawing

Verb

The pope paused for a moment and waved to the crowd before retreating into his apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

— Colleen Barry, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
In a world riven by democratic backsliding and polluted with AI slop, there’s something seductive about the idea of retreating to a wild, unnavigable place where no one can follow you—because you’ll be submerged up to your eyeballs.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

With styling that’s part Art Deco, part Steampunk, and part contemporary elegance, the Supersport comes with the choice of either a removable composite-hardtop roof or a retracting mohair soft-top setup.

— Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2026
Vivo and Oppo phones have relied on various gimmicks, like smaller gimbals and pop-out lenses, to improve camera performance, though not to the extent of a physically retracting gimbal.

— Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of retracting

Verb

Doctors then discussed removing his tongue, according to Rockett.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
The 71-year-old first American pope was admitted to the Gemelli hospital on Tuesday with doctors removing a nodule that was determined to be pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

— Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

Both Collins and Manchin — who represented deep-red West Virginia in the Senate before leaving the Democratic Party and retiring in 2024 — have a history of clashing with their respective parties.

— Taurean Small, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Outgoing ranking members Angie Craig of Minnesota and Nydia Velázquez of New York are also behind, though retiring members and frontliners generally don’t pay dues in full.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of retiring

Verb

Although economic espionage is not without risk, unilaterally renouncing the practice in the current global environment is far more dangerous.

— DAVID S. COHEN, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026
Eric Lai, a senior fellow with the Georgetown Center for Asian Law, said every actor in Hong Kong civil society who assumed that renouncing violence and working within the law would be fine has to revise that assumption.

— Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of renouncing

Verb

The lawmakers argued that repealing the credits while major projects were still under construction would jeopardize investments already underway and the jobs tied to them.

— Kayla Morton, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
The Trades Council endorsed the campaign for repealing the law, according to Ballotpedia, while Schmidt spent heavily to defend it.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026