/wɪθˈdɹu/
withdrew is pronounced /wɪθˈdɹu/. Withdrew is the past tense of withdraw, meaning to pull back or remove oneself or something from a situation or location. It signals a completed action in which an agent or force drew back from a stance, agreement, or place. The term is often used in formal reporting, documentation, or narrative contexts to indicate a retreat or reversal of prior intent.
Say it backWithdrew is the past tense of withdraw, meaning to pull back or remove oneself or something from a situation or location. It signals a completed action in which an agent or force drew back from a stance, agreement, or place. The term is often used in formal reporting, documentation, or narrative contexts to indicate a retreat or reversal of prior intent.
"She withdrew her application before the interview."
"The committee withdrew the proposal after new evidence emerged."
"During the meeting, he withdrew his earlier statement and apologized."
Withdrew is pronounced /wɪðˈdruː/. The first syllable is a short, lax /ɪ/ in 'with' followed by the stressed /ˈdruː/ in 'drew.' The /ð/ is the voiced dental fricative. Ensure the /d/ is released clearly before the /r/ and the final vowel is a long /uː/. Visualize: 'with' + 'drew' with a strong lift on the second syllable.
Common errors include pronouncing the second syllable as a short /u/ or a clipped rough /drə/ instead of /ˈdruː/. Some speakers merge /ð/ with /d/ outputs or drop the /r/ in non-rhotic accents. Correct by clearly enunciating /ð/ in the first word, then producing a full /druː/ with a distinct /d/ release, a rolled or rhotic /r/ depending on the accent, and a long /uː/ vowel. Practice with minimal pairs like withdrew/withdrew to feel the contrast.
In US and UK rhotic varieties, /r/ is pronounced before a vowel in close contexts; in Received Pronunciation, /r/ is non-rhotic, but after /d/ in withdrew the /r/ is typically not pronounced unless a following vowel requires it. The main difference is the vowel quality in /uː/: US tends to have a strong /uː/ with less vowel rounding, UK may be slightly more back and rounded, and AU similar to US but with Australian vowel subtlety. Overall the stress pattern remains on the second syllable in all three.
The difficulty lies in the irregular past tense form and the two-consonant cluster boundary: /ð/ followed by /d/ and then /r/. Distinctly articulating the /ð/ in 'with' and the /d/ release before the rhotic /r/ in many dialects can be slippery in fast speech. Additionally, maintaining a long /uː/ in the final syllable closes the word clearly when glued to neighboring speech sounds. Focus on clear tongue placement for /ð/, a crisp /d/, and a steady /r/ with a long /uː/.
A distinctive feature is the transition from the dental fricative /ð/ in 'with' to the hard alveolar /d/ release into the rhotic /r/ of the second syllable. This creates a perceptible boundary: with- DREW. In careful speech, the /ð/ and /d/ are both clearly released, and the /r/ becomes prominent before the long /uː/. Practicing this boundary helps prevent blending the two syllables into a single sound.
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Withdrew originates from Old English withdrawan, formed from the prefix with- meaning back, against, or away, combined with the verb water or wernian? The etymology tracks to Germanic roots: with- (again, back) and draw (to pull). The earliest senses in Old English center on pulling something back or away from a position or line of action. Over centuries, the spelling synchronized with the modern English verb withdraw, where the past tense took an irregular form: withdrew. In Middle English usage, withdraws and withdrews appear in legal and transactional writing, evolving into standard past tense withdrew by Early Modern English. The sense broadened to include not only literal pulling back but also removing oneself from a situation, institution, or policy, as evidenced in 16th to 18th-century legal and diplomatic language. By the 19th and 20th centuries, withdrew became common in narrative prose and journalism to describe retreat, disengagement, or the cessation of participation. The current usage covers personal choices (“withdrew from the conference”) and procedural changes (“the offer withdrew”), maintaining an emphasis on reversal of prior action and physical or abstract withdrawal.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "withdrew" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "withdrew" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "withdrew"
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