withdrawing

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of withdraw.

   The general spent the morning withdrawing his forces from the border.

   Withdrawing from the treaty would damage the country's standing abroad.

   Note

   The -ing form does two jobs. After a form of be it builds the progressive (the troops are withdrawing). At the head of a clause it works as a gerund that still takes a direct object, as in withdrawing the offer or withdrawing one's eyes. The reflexive withdrawing oneself is now archaic, and so is withdrawing a curtain or bolt aside. Once an article and of appear (the withdrawing of funds), it has become the noun meaning "withdrawal".

2. 2
   noununcountable

   The act or process of taking something back, removing it, or retreating from a place, group, or commitment.

   The withdrawing of funds before maturity reduced the final payout.

   His abrupt withdrawing from negotiations stalled the whole deal.

   Similarwithdrawal, removal, retreat

   Note

   As a full noun it can be counted and made plural, which the verb form never can. Patrick Barry's Wealth and Poverty considered (1870) speaks of "direct withdrawings of coin or bullion from the Bank of England". The pattern there is typical: of names what is taken out, and from names where it is taken from. In meaning it matches withdrawal, and in money talk it can refer to repeated drawings on an account or reserve.

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