excerpt

American  

[ek-surpt, ik-surpt] / ˈɛk sɜrpt, ɪkˈsɜrpt /

noun

1. a passage or quotation taken or selected from a book, document, film, or the like; extract.

   Synonyms:

   part, section, portion, selection

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verb (used with object)

1. to take or select (a passage) from a book, film, or the like; extract.

2. to take or select passages from (a book, film, or the like); abridge by choosing representative sections.

excerpt British  

noun

1. a part or passage taken from a book, speech, play, etc, and considered on its own; extract

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verb

1. (tr) to take (a part or passage) from a book, speech, play, etc

Other Word Forms

• excerpter noun
• excerptible adjective
• excerption noun
• excerptor noun
• unexcerpted adjective

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”

Example Sentences

In an excerpt from his new memoir, “Generation Desperation,” writer Alexander Hurst explains the anxieties that led him into the meme-stock world of WallStreetBets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

The reason: an excerpt from their music was officially released at the end of 1989 and therefore did not fully fit the '90s theme.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

An excerpt from their conversation, below, has been edited for length and clarity.

From Slate • Jan. 20, 2026

The excerpt shares how Davis’ mother came west from Louisiana during the Great Migration, a Black Creole who arrived in Los Angeles in 1945.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

Take this excerpt from a 340-word soliloquy in a novel by Rebecca Goldstein.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• extract
• fragment
• passage
• piece
• portion
• quotation
• selection