Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • 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:

All of this brings in extra commercial revenue - which jumped from £73m in 2016-17 to £277m in 2024-25.

From BBC Aug. 1, 2026

Anthropic’s Fable model was brought under export control by the government, forcing the company to disable access to all its users, before it was re-released with extra safeguards.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 1, 2026

Belfast City Council and Translink are urging people to plan ahead and leave extra time for journeys to and from the city.

From BBC Aug. 1, 2026

“It’s an extra tool to have some peace in retirement.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 31, 2026

It was a job Dad picked up from a guy he knows to make some extra money.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

Plasmids, which consist of extra- chromosomal DNA, are also present in many species of bacteria and archaea.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 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

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

And while she knows people watch it for the drama and conversations it sparks, she thinks those are just "added extras" and the romances should be at the centre of the show.

From BBC Aug. 1, 2026

And, of course, there’s that army of extras each making the most of their five seconds of fame.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 30, 2026

In Greece, there has been criticism over the lack of Greek actors in the film, beyond extras.

From Barron's Jul. 28, 2026

See how the rest of the extras stack up.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 25, 2026

Marcus and I have always sort of been extras in each other’s lives.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training