distill

American  

[dih-stil] / dɪˈstɪl /

especially British, distil

verb (used with object)

distilled, distilling

1. to subject to a process of vaporization and subsequent condensation, as for purification or concentration.

2. to extract the volatile components of by distillation; transform by distillation.

3. to concentrate, purify, or obtain by or as by distillation.

   to distill whiskey from mash.

4. to remove by distillation (usually followed by off orout ).

   to distill out impurities.

5. to extract the essential elements of; refine; abstract.

   She managed to distill her ideas into one succinct article.

6. to let fall in drops; give forth in or as in drops.

   The cool of the night distills the dew.

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verb (used without object)

distilled, distilling

1. to undergo or perform distillation.

2. to become vaporized and then condensed in distillation.

3. to drop, pass, or condense as a distillate.

4. to fall in drops; trickle; exude.

Other Word Forms

• distillable adjective
• nondistillable adjective
• redistill verb (used with object)
• redistillable adjective
• redistillableness noun

Etymology

Origin of distill

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English distillen (from Anglo-French distiller ), from Latin distillāre, variant of dēstillāre, equivalent to dē- de- + stillāre to drip

Explanation

When you distill something, you are boiling it down to its essence — its most important part. Whether it's alcohol or ideas, the distilled part is the most powerful. The original meaning of distill comes from the process of making alcohol, known as distilling, in which all the impurities of a substance are vaporized and its pure, high-alcohol condensation collected. Distill eventually came to mean any process in which the essence of something is revealed. If you take notes at a lecture and then turn them into an essay for your professor, you're distilling your notes into something more pure and exact. At least, that's what you hope you're doing.

Example Sentences

The oil giant paid the smaller company $320 million over a decade to tinker with the genetic makeup of algae to try to distill enough oil to make the venture technically viable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Like “The Pitt,” “St. Denis Medical” and “Scrubs” distill the unique relationships between doctors, nurses and patients.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

“One, it’s a great way to distill everything that’s happening in the world, because the ribeye doesn’t lie,” said Lewis.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026

If prediction markets distill the wisdom of the crowd, a larger crowd makes for more accurate predictions.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

“Part of the sugarcane-making process. They distill it.”

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Related Words

• condense
• extract
• infuse
• refine