Standard Lemma guide

drawback

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɹɔːˌbæk/
  • General-American: /ˈdɹɔˌbæk/
  • General-American, sometimes: [ˈd͡ʒɹɔˌbæk]
  • General-American: [ˈd͡ʒɹɔɹˌbæk] intrusive r, New England
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈdɹɑˌbæk/
  • Australian: /ˈdɹoːˌbæk/
  • Brisbane Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Philippines: /ˈdɹoˌbæk/
  • CMU ARPABET: D R AO1 B AE2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A disadvantage; something that detracts or takes away.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Poor fuel economy is a common drawback among larger vehicles.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: encumbrance, hindrance, nuisance, malefit

Antonyms: benefit, advantage, boon

2

noun

Meaning 2

A partial refund of an import fee, as when goods are re-exported from the country that collected the fee.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The inhalation of a lungful of smoke from a cigarette, viewed as a skill of the practised smoker.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the quality of being a hindrance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he pointed out all the drawbacks to my plan

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disadvantage

Narrower terms: catch, gimmick

History

Etymology

From draw + back. Compare setback.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عائِق (ʕāʔiq) — a disadvantage
  • Belarusian: недахо́п (njedaxóp) — a disadvantage
  • Bulgarian: пре́чка (préčka) — a disadvantage
  • Bulgarian: затрудне́ние (zatrudnénie) — a disadvantage
  • Catalan: inconvenient — a disadvantage
  • Catalan: desavantatge — a disadvantage
  • Chinese Mandarin: 缺點 /缺点 (quēdiǎn) — a disadvantage
  • Czech: nevýhoda — a disadvantage
  • Czech: zápor — a disadvantage
  • Danish: ulempe — a disadvantage
  • Danish: skyggeside — a disadvantage
  • Finnish: haitta — a disadvantage
  • Finnish: haittapuoli — a disadvantage
  • Finnish: varjopuoli — a disadvantage
  • Finnish: huono puoli — a disadvantage
  • French: inconvénient — a disadvantage
  • French: désavantage — a disadvantage
  • Georgian: უარყოფითი მხარე (uarq̇opiti mxare) — a disadvantage
  • Georgian: ხარვეზი (xarvezi) — a disadvantage
  • Georgian: ნაკლი (naḳli) — a disadvantage
  • Georgian: წუნი (c̣uni) — a disadvantage
  • German: Nachteil — a disadvantage
  • German: Minuspunkt — a disadvantage
  • German: Schattenseite — a disadvantage
  • German: Haken — a disadvantage
  • Hungarian: hátrány — a disadvantage
  • Hungarian: hátulütő — a disadvantage
  • Italian: svantaggio — a disadvantage
  • Japanese: 欠点 (ketten) — a disadvantage
  • Korean: 결점 (gyeoljeom) — a disadvantage
  • Māori: taumahatanga — a disadvantage
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ulempe — a disadvantage
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ulempe — a disadvantage
  • Polish: wada — a disadvantage
  • Portuguese: desvantagem — a disadvantage
  • Romanian: dezavantaj — a disadvantage
  • Russian: недоста́ток (nedostátok) — a disadvantage
  • Russian: изъя́н (izʺján) — a disadvantage
  • Spanish: desventaja — a disadvantage
  • Spanish: pega — a disadvantage
  • Spanish: inconveniente — a disadvantage
  • Swedish: baksida — a disadvantage
  • Swedish: nackdel — a disadvantage
  • Ukrainian: недо́лік (nedólik) — a disadvantage
  • Ukrainian: перешко́да (pereškóda) — a disadvantage
  • Danish: toldgodtgørelse — a partial refund
  • Finnish: palautus — a partial refund
  • French: drawback — a partial refund
  • German: Zollrückvergütung — a partial refund
  • Spanish: reintegro — a partial refund
  • Spanish: drawback (dróbak) — a partial refund
  • Spanish: reembolso parcial — a partial refund
Real reading context

drawback in complete knowledge articles