/wɪðˈdɹɔz/
withdraws is pronounced /wɪðˈdɹɔz/. Withdraws is the present simple third-person form of withdraw, meaning to remove or take back something or to retreat. It denotes action that causes something to move away from a position or commitment, or a retreat from a stance. The word combines a verb root with a third-person singular tense ending, indicating a current, habitual, or repeated action by the subject.
Say it backWithdraws is the present simple third-person form of withdraw, meaning to remove or take back something or to retreat. It denotes action that causes something to move away from a position or commitment, or a retreat from a stance. The word combines a verb root with a third-person singular tense ending, indicating a current, habitual, or repeated action by the subject.
- You might replace /ð/ with /d/ or /z/, producing confusion with words like 'wiggards' instead of 'withdraws'. Focus on keeping the tongue tip between upper/lower teeth and voicing /ð/. - Stress misplacement can lead to 'WITH-draws' or 'withdraws' with a flat pitch. Always stress the second syllable: with-DRAWS, ensuring a clear long /ɔː/ and a voiced final /z/. - Final consonant may devoice: /z/ becomes /s/ in fast speech; ensure voicing by gently sustaining voice in /z/.
"The company withholds profit distributions and withdraws funding from the project."
"She withdraws her hand from the hot surface after a sharp twinge of pain."
"He withdraws from social events when overwhelmed by crowds."
Phonetic guide: /wɪðˈdrɔːz/. The word stresses the second syllable: with-DRAWS. Start with a short, lax 'wi' sound, then the /ð/ as in 'this', followed by /drɔːz/ where /ɔː/ is the long open-mid back vowel, and the final /z/ is a voiced alveolar sibilant. Tip: keep the mouth rounded slightly for /ɔː/, and release the final /z/ with z-voicing. Listen for the /ð/ and avoid turning it into /d/ or /t/.
Common errors: (1) pronouncing /ð/ as /d/ or /t/, e.g., 'with-drawz' instead of 'with-drawz' with the voiced th; (2) misplacing stress by saying 'WITH-draws' (stressing the first syllable) or flattening the /ɔː/ to /ɑ/; (3) ending with an unvoiced /s/ instead of the voiced /z/ in /ɔːz/. Corrections: practice /wɪðˈdrɔːz/ with a crisp /ð/ and voiced /z/ at the end; ensure the vowel in the stressed syllable is the long /ɔː/ and not a lax /ɔ/; exaggerate the final z slightly in isolation to feel voicing.
US: /wɪðˈdrɔːz/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a clear /ɔː/ in the stressed syllable; UK: /wɪðˈdrɔːz/ also rhotic in most accents, but some RP speakers reduce the /ɔː/ toward /ɒː/ in fast speech; AU: /ˈwɪðdrɔːz/ with a flat vowel quality and strong vowel length, sometimes a slightly shorter /ɔː/. The /ð/ is generally retained in all varieties; the final /z/ remains voiced. Differences are subtle—vowel quality and syllable timing matter most in recognition.
Key challenges: the initial cluster /wɪð/ blends a short ‘i’ + the voiced dental fricative /ð/, which many learners substitute with /d/ or /z/. The stressed /ɔː/ in /drɔː/ demands a long, open back vowel, which can be tricky if your native language lacks it. Finally, the final /z/ requires careful voicing, especially in rapid speech where final s can devoice. Practice by isolating and saying segments slowly, then blend with controlled voicing.
Uniquely, the word’s pronunciation hinges on the dental fricative /ð/ immediately followed by the /d/ onset in /drɔːz/. This creates a rapid transition from a voiced interdental fricative to a voiced alveolar stop plus a long vowel. You’ll often hear subtle metathesis or flapping in rapid speech, but careful enunciation keeps /ð/ distinct before the /d/.
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- US: emphasize the rhotic /ɹ/ if applicable and maintain the long /ɔː/ in the stressed syllable; keep /ð/ distinct; practice with sentences containing /ð/ before /d/ (e.g., "with draws" as a contrast). - UK: the /ɔː/ may be slightly shorter in fast RP; keep dental fricative clear and avoid substituting with /v/ or /f/; maintain voicing of final /z/. - AU: similar to US with slightly broader vowel quality; ensure /ð/ is pronounced rather than replaced by /d/; keep final /z/ voiced in connected speech.
Withdraw originates from Old English withdrawan, composed of wið (against, withdrawal), and wīthan (to pull, drag). The semantic core evolved from “to pull away” to “to retract or remove,” as in money, support, or troops. In Middle English, forms like with-drawen appear, reflecting the separable prefix with- and the verb root draw. Over time, withdraw broadened to include figurative senses like withdrawal of support, admission of funds, or retreat from a commitment. The modern spelling consolidates the prefix with- and the verb draw, yielding withdraw and its inflected forms (withdraws, withdrew, withdrawn). First known uses appear in legal and financial contexts in late medieval England, with broader usage in literature and bureaucratic prose by the 16th–17th centuries as trade, credit, and diplomacy required explicit removal or retreat actions. The form withdraws specifically appears as the third-person singular present in Early Modern to contemporary English, aligning with standard English conjugation patterns. This preserves the sense of ongoing action performed by a subject in the present tense.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "withdraws" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "withdraws"
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