withdrawal

[with-draw-uh l, -drawl, with-] /wɪðˈdrɔ əl, -ˈdrɔl, wɪθ-/

noun

Also, withdrawment. the act or condition of withdrawing.

Pharmacology. the act or process of ceasing to use an addictive drug.

coitus interruptus.

Origin of withdrawal

1740-50; withdraw + -al²

Examples from the web for withdrawal

After you quit smoking, you will have some withdrawal symptoms.
The philanthropy's impending withdrawal has aroused anxiety about what.
But opposition to the war does not translate directly into support for immediate withdrawal.
withdrawal symptoms tend to disappear in two to four days, though they can last up to a week or more.
Addiction and withdrawal readily explain why caffeine both causes and relieves caffeine withdrawal headache.
withdrawal symptoms vary, depending on the abused substance.
Working with jerks is problematic, but there are several considerations for interaction other than submission or withdrawal.
But nutrient withdrawal takes time, and the process leaves the leaves vulnerable to damage from sunlight.
Also call if new symptoms develop, especially symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
The philanthropy's impending withdrawal has aroused.

British Dictionary definitions for withdrawal

withdrawal

/wɪðˈdrɔːəl/

noun

an act or process of withdrawing; retreat, removal, or detachment

the period a drug addict goes through following abrupt termination in the use of narcotics, usually characterized by physical and mental symptoms (withdrawal symptoms)

Word Origin and History for withdrawal

1820s, "act of taking back," also "retraction of a statement," from withdraw + -al (2). Earlier words in the same sense were withdrawment (1640s); withdraught (mid-14c.). Meaning "removal of money from a bank, etc." is from 1861; psychological sense is from 1916; meaning "physical reaction to the cessation of an addictive substance" is from 1929 (with an isolated use from 1897; withdrawal symptoms is from 1924). As a synonym for coitus interruptus from 1889.

withdrawal in Medicine

withdrawal with·draw·al (wĭð-drô'əl, wĭth-)
n.

Detachment, as from social or emotional involvement.
Discontinuation of the use of an addictive substance.
The physiological and mental readjustment that accompanies such discontinuation.
A pattern of behavior, observed in schizophrenia and depression, that is characterized by a pathological retreat from interpersonal contact and social involvement and that leads to self-preoccupation.

withdrawal in Science

withdrawal

(wĭ-drô'əl, wĭth-)
Discontinuation of the use of an addictive substance. The symptoms of withdrawal include headache, diarrhea, and tremors and can range from mild to life threatening, depending on the extent of the body's reliance on the addictive substance.