extricate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have extricatedperfect
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has extricatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been extricatingperfect progressive
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are extricatingprogressive
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am extricatingprogressive 1st person singular
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is extricatingprogressive 3rd person singular
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extricatingparticiple
-
has been extricatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
extricatessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had extricatedperfect
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were extricatingprogressive plural
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had been extricatingperfect progressive
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extricatedparticiple
-
was extricatingprogressive singular
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extricatedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of extricate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin extricātus (past participle of extricāre ), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + tric(ae) “perplexities” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
If you need to be untangled, set free or otherwise released from something or someone, you need to be extricated. Extricate is a mixture of the prefix ex, which means "out" or "out of," and the Latin word tricae, which means "hindrances." So to extricate is to get out of what's hindering you. But it's not always so simple. You just try and extricate yourself from the loving death grip of a grandma who hasn't seen you in awhile!
Vocabulary lists containing extricate
Ender's Game
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam" (1967)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I vowed to entrust the job to our electrician if I could ever extricate myself.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Meanwhile, despite these woes, I was able to extricate some March Madness picks from the collective wisdom, or otherwise, of the major AI platforms.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
Rocket responded with its “Bully Shield” program, which pays penalties and court fees for any brokers who want to extricate themselves from UWM External link’s contract.
From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026
Kardashian employed Wasser, who costs at least $1000 an hour, according to a 2022 New Yorker profile, to legally extricate herself from her marriage to Kanye West.
From Salon • Nov. 6, 2025
But when I finally extricate myself from the back seat and stand up, I see it’s not my mom.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
