drawback

See also: draw back

English

Etymology

From draw +‎ back. Compare setback.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɔːˌbæk/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɔˌbæk/, [ˈd͡ʒɹɔˌbæk], (intrusive r, New England) [ˈd͡ʒɹɔɹˌbæk]
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɑˌbæk/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹoːˌbæk/

  • Audio (Brisbane):

    (file)

• (Philippines) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹoˌbæk/

Noun

drawback (plural drawbacks)

1. A disadvantage; something that detracts or takes away.

   Synonyms: encumbrance, hindrance, nuisance, malefit

   Antonyms: benefit, advantage, boon

   Poor fuel economy is a common drawback among larger vehicles.

2. A partial refund of an import fee, as when goods are re-exported from the country that collected the fee.
   • 1796, David Steel, New and Complete Tables of the Net Duties payable, and drawbacks allowed, on goods, wares, and merchandises..., page 5:

     East-India goods, not specifically and particularly rated, are to be liable to duties and drawbacks on the value, to be taken by the gross price at the company's public sales.

3. The inhalation of a lungful of smoke from a cigarette.

Translations

a disadvantage

• Arabic: عائِق m (ʕāʔiq)
• Belarusian: недахо́п (be) m (njedaxóp)
• Bulgarian: пре́чка (bg) f (préčka), затрудне́ние (bg) n (zatrudnénie)
• Catalan: inconvenient (ca) m, desavantatge (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 缺點 / 缺点 (zh) (quēdiǎn)

• Czech: nevýhoda (cs) f, zápor m
• Danish: ulempe (da) c, skyggeside c
• Finnish: haitta (fi), haittapuoli, varjopuoli, huono puoli
• French: inconvénient (fr) m, désavantage (fr)
• Georgian: უარყოფითი მხარე (uarq̇opiti mxare), ხარვეზი (xarvezi), ნაკლი (ka) (naḳli), წუნი (c̣uni)
• German: Nachteil (de) m, Minuspunkt m, Schattenseite (de) f, Haken (de) m
• Hungarian: hátrány (hu), hátulütő (hu)
• Italian: svantaggio (it) m
• Japanese: 欠点 (ja) (けってん, ketten)
• Korean: 결점 (ko) (gyeoljeom)
• Maori: taumahatanga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ulempe m or f

  Nynorsk: ulempe f

• Polish: wada (pl) f
• Portuguese: desvantagem (pt) f
• Romanian: dezavantaj (ro) n
• Russian: недоста́ток (ru) m (nedostátok), изъя́н (ru) m (izʺján)
• Spanish: desventaja (es), pega (es) f
• Swedish: baksida (sv) c, nackdel (sv) c
• Ukrainian: недо́лік m (nedólik), перешко́да f (pereškóda)

a partial refund

• Danish: toldgodtgørelse c
• Finnish: palautus (fi)
• French: drawback (fr) m
• German: Zollrückvergütung f
• Spanish: reintegro (es) m, drawback m (anglicism)

inhalation of a lungful of smoke from a cigarette

Anagrams

• backward

French

Noun

drawback m (plural drawbacks)

1. drawback (disadvantage)
2. drawback (partial refund)

Further reading

• “drawback”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.