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  • extra
    extra
    adjective
    beyond or more than what is usual, expected, or necessary; additional.
  • extra-
    extra-
    a prefix meaning “outside,” “beyond,” freely used as an English formative.
Synonyms

extra

1 American  
[ek-struh] / ˈɛk strə /

adjective

  1. beyond or more than what is usual, expected, or necessary; additional.

    an extra copy of a newspaper; an extra charge.

  2. larger or better than what is usual.

    an extra binding.

  3. Slang.

    1. extremely good.

    2. over the top; extreme or excessive.

      Her behavior is just so extra, so dramatic!


noun

extras plural
  1. something extra or additional.

    the little amenities and extras that make life pleasant.

  2. an additional expense.

  3. a special edition of a newspaper, other than a regular edition.

  4. something of superior quality.

  5. Movies, Television. a person hired by the day to play a minor part, as a member of a mob or crowd.

  6. an additional worker.

  7. Cricket. Usually extras. a score or run not made from the bat, as a bye or a wide.

adverb

  1. in excess of the usual or specified amount.

    an extra high price.

  2. beyond the ordinary degree; unusually; uncommonly.

    done extra well; extra large.

extra- 2 American  
  1. a prefix meaning “outside,” “beyond,” freely used as an English formative.

    extrajudicial; extraterritorial; extra-atmospheric.


extra 1 British  
/ ˈɛkstrə /

adjective

  1. being more than what is usual or expected; additional

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person or thing that is additional

  2. something for which an additional charge is made

    the new car had many extras

  3. an additional edition of a newspaper, esp to report a new development or crisis

  4. films an actor or person temporarily engaged, usually for crowd scenes

  5. cricket a run not scored from the bat, such as a wide, no-ball, bye, or leg bye

  6. something that is better than usual in quality

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. unusually; exceptionally

    an extra fast car

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
extra- 2 British  

prefix

  1. outside or beyond an area or scope

    extrasensory

    extraterritorial

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of extra1

First recorded in 1770–80; by shortening of extraordinary

Origin of extra-2

< Latin, combining form of extrā (adv. and preposition) outside (of ), without

Explanation

Something extra is more than you need or more than you usually have. It's never a bad idea to bake extra chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes extra things are good, like the extra money you made this month or the extra attention you get on your birthday. Other times, they're not so great: nobody needs extra problems or extra traffic. Extra can also be an adverb, meaning "especially" or "unusually," like when your dog behaves extra well or you plan an extra special party for your friend. Extra comes from extraordinary, from the Latin root extra ordinem, "outside normal events."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing extra

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:

Unified’s already adopted plan calls for more than 6,000 job reductions, slashing up to $500 million per year in extra services for schools with the greatest needs and seven unpaid furlough days for each worker.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 17, 2026

The World Cup adds a slew of extra tax issues.

From MarketWatch Jul. 17, 2026

But some welcomed the extra money it would generate, which the council said would be used on public transport.

From BBC Jul. 17, 2026

I love topping it with Topo Chico for the soda’s minerality and extra fizziness.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 17, 2026

Out of curiosity, he slowed down and listened extra hard.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Once the paneling is clean, I then suggested that she very lightly sand the light areas on the paneling with extra- or super-fine sandpaper to just scuff up the existing clear coating.

From Seattle Times Sep. 27, 2022

It turns out that nonbelievers are the ones doing most of the magical thinking when it comes to extra-, intra-, and ultraterrestrial beings.

From Slate Oct. 18, 2021

The second stage of extra- and co-curricular reopening, scheduled for July 20-Aug.

From Washington Times Jul. 3, 2020

A wholesale T-shirt company offers sizes small, medium, large, and extra- large in organic or non- organic cotton and colors white, black, gray, blue, and red.

From Textbooks Feb. 13, 2015

Gene Berkenkamp and the rest of the Cal boys leaned into their oars and took the prescribed ten extra- hard pulls.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

More recently, in 2024-25, the core amount of the grant, without extras for building, was about £52m - significantly lower than what will become the new base level of funding from next year.

From BBC Jun. 26, 2026

Many Advantage plans bundle Part A hospital coverage, Part B outpatient coverage, and Part D drug coverage—plus extras like gym memberships and dental care—for no additional premium.

From Barron's Jun. 11, 2026

Access to 11 countries, AES-256 encryption with WireGuard, plus extras like split tunneling and Stealth protocol.

From Salon Jun. 2, 2026

At another point, he recalled recently watching “Wicked” on an airplane and wondering aloud why studios still bothered paying human extras.

From Los Angeles Times May 28, 2026

“It’s waffle day. You got any extras to send me?”

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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