excerpt
Americannoun
-
excerpts
plural
verb (used with object)
-
excerpts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
excerpted,
past participle, past
-
excerpting
present participle
-
to take or select (a passage) from a book, film, or the like; extract.
-
to take or select passages from (a book, film, or the like); abridge by choosing representative sections.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
excerptsimple
-
excerptssimple
-
have excerptedperfect
-
has excerptedperfect
-
am excerptingprogressive
-
are excerptingprogressive
-
is excerptingprogressive
-
have been excerptingperfect progressive
-
has been excerptingperfect progressive
Past
-
excerptedsimple
-
had excerptedperfect
-
was excerptingprogressive
-
were excerptingprogressive
-
had been excerptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of excerpt
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin excerptus “picked out,” past participle of excerpere “to pick out, pluck out,” from ex- ex- 1 + -cerpere, combining form of carpere “to pluck”
Explanation
Instead of sharing all 147 lines of your favorite poem in class, you might want to read an excerpt, that is, just a part of the verses, so no one dozes off. Excerpt sounds a lot like "except" with an added "r," and it came into English in the 16th century from a Latin word meaning "plucked out." When the word is used as a verb, excerpt means to take a portion out, usually from a play, book, article, song, or other written work. And the part that is taken out also is called an excerpt, but it is a noun, that is, a thing. An excerpt is something you excerpt, or pluck out, from a larger piece.
Vocabulary lists containing excerpt
Power Prefix: ex-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
STAAR Grade 8 Reading: The Language of the Test, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 Canadian director is also the last voice you hear on Music, Fashion, Film, in an excerpt of an "hour-long" conversation he had with Charli last year,.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In early June, the Wall Street Journal published an excerpt from Vance’s latest memoir, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” which is officially released tomorrow.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
An excerpt of their conversation about Thomas and Alito’s dissents, below, has been edited for length and clarity.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
Each tile plays a short excerpt and the full title can be accessed on the Audible app.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
An excerpt of Elizabeth Bentley's testimony before HUAC, in which she answers questions about Nathan Silvermaster, her main contact in Washington, DC, from Congressman John E. Rankin of Mississippi.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
But although no other media outlet has independently confirmed the letters’ authenticity, they match excerpts the New York Times quoted in a 2024 story about Harp joining the White House.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
The eerie mood is accentuated by an introductory film projected on the distant stone and a twangy voice intoning excerpts from the Lincoln speeches etched in the atrium above ground.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"But some survive as copies or excerpts. Two excerpts from this particular letter survive in collections of papal rescripts."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The excerpts come from Cooper’s March 19, 2025, deposition, which surfaced last month in a court filing by attorneys representing Drakeo’s family in a civil lawsuit against festival organizers and security contractors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Two of the evangelists, a man and a woman, held hands and seesawed from side to side like babies being rocked to sleep, singing and humming excerpts from some cryptic hymns.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
In the climate science chapter, footnote 77 says “discussion of attribution research has been adapted, and, in some cases, excerpted from the authors’ prior publications on this topic.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
This interview was excerpted from Artists in Space by Mr. Wash, available to order on Feb. 16.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
Davis’ mother is also the subject of an autobiographical novel, long in process, that is excerpted in the “Magnificent Product” catalog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
A portion of their conversation is excerpted below, edited and condensed for clarity.
From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2025
Mullen examined the tapes and excerpted all references to the candidates, until he had 37 separate segments, each roughly two and a half seconds long.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Cowley worked his magic again in launching Jack Kerouac’s career, spending years talking up and excerpting “On the Road” in magazines before publishing the 1957 Beat touchstone with Viking to immediate acclaim.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
She performs a public service by excerpting the treatment for Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video, which might be the most embarrassing PDF in the history of entertainment.
From New York Times ● Nov. 5, 2021
Prosecutors leaned heavily on exchanges between Leopold and Edwards, excerpting from messages that suggested the relationship overstepped the traditional bounds of reporter and source.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 8, 2021
Even at 82, Steinem says the experience taught her something: “It made me understand the dangers of excerpting a few words.”
From Time ● May 5, 2016
Comparison with passages preserved in the Balawat extracts shows that the work of excerpting has been badly done by the editor of the third edition.
From Assyrian Historiography by A. T. (Albert Ten Eyck) Olmstead
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.
