1. The act or process of withdrawing, as:
   1. A retreat or retirement.
   2. Retreat of a military force in the face of enemy attack or after a defeat.
   3. Detachment, as from social or emotional involvement.
   4. A removal from a place or position of something that has been deposited.
2. 1. Discontinuation of the use of an addictive substance.
   2. The physiological and mental readjustment that accompanies such discontinuation.
3. The act or an instance of retracting or revoking: feared the withdrawal of his parents' permission.
4. Coitus interruptus.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.