- a variation of distill.
distil
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
-
to subject to or undergo distillation See also rectify
-
to purify, separate, or concentrate, or be purified, separated, or concentrated by distillation
-
to obtain or be obtained by distillation
to distil whisky
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to exude or give off (a substance) in drops or small quantities
-
(tr) to extract the essence of as if by distillation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of distil
C14: from Latin dēstillāre to distil, from de- + stillāre to drip
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.
See Examples For:
The Odones approached Croda, which had large manufacturing plants in Hull, and the chemist Don Suddaby, who was persuaded to distil the formula.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2025
Cleverly said any attempt to distil the relationship down to a single word or a sound bite was fundamentally flawed.
From Reuters ● Aug. 30, 2023
But even in these helter-skelter moments, there are still chances to stand back, to distil what's happened and provide the fact-checking, context, analysis and explanation to really understand an event.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2022
Cobb also eloquently shows how figurative language does much more than simply distil or give shape to complex, intangible subjects.
From Nature ● Mar. 29, 2020
To distil those many pages, written in the thin, slanting hand of my girlhood, would be to extract the very essence of my life's romance—or, shall I say, tragedy.
From My Actor-Husband A true story of American stage life by Anonymous
White wine vinegar — or even plain distilled white vinegar — is excellent with potatoes, creamy chicken soups and corn chowders.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Now, at the age of 82, Mr. Damasio has distilled many of his central insights into “Natural Intelligence & the Logic of Consciousness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
He distilled the disagreement into the dissent’s sharpest line.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
Cowin’s own restraint and withholding yield images of distilled power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“For you, my child,” Mechtild said, turning her sharp eyes on me, “I recommend the water of distilled strawberry, for it not only smooths the skin, it guards against the passions of the heart.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Microsoft is weighing whether to host a version of DeepSeek, an ultralow-cost AI provider based in China that OpenAI and Anthropic have called out for distilling, or copying, their top models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
After pausing distilling operations in Clermont, the company moved most of its production to its Booker Noe facility just down the street, named for Noe’s grandfather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
In 1941, the company purchased distilling facilities in Virginia and Lyons, N.Y., to increase production, then during the war it made pectin, a vital preservative used in military food rations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
John D. Rockefeller was 24 in 1863 when he invested in the emerging new technology of distilling crude into kerosene.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
In Mr. Ferris’s physical science class we were distilling aspirins, very large aspirins, which by the time the last bell rang Mr. Ferris said he needed.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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