extract

American  

[ik-strakt, ek-strakt, ek-strakt] / ɪkˈstrækt, ˈɛk strækt, ˈɛk strækt /

verb (used with object)

1. to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force.

   to extract a tooth.

2. to deduce (a doctrine, principle, interpretation, etc.).

   He extracted a completely personal meaning from what was said.

3. to derive or obtain (pleasure, comfort, etc.) from a particular source.

   He extracted satisfaction from the success of his sons.

4. to take or copy out (matter), as from a book.

5. to make excerpts from (a book, pamphlet, etc.).

6. to extort (information, money, etc.).

   to extract a secret from someone.

   Synonyms:

   elicit, educe, evoke

7. to separate or obtain (a juice, ingredient, etc.) from a mixture by pressure, distillation, treatment with solvents, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   distill, withdraw

8. Mathematics.

   1. to determine (the root of a quantity that has a single root).

   2. to determine (a root of a quantity that has multiple roots).

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noun

1. something extracted.

2. a passage taken from a book, article, etc.; excerpt; quotation.

   Synonyms:

   selection, citation

3. a solution or preparation containing the active principles of a drug, plant juice, or the like; concentrated solution.

   vanilla extract.

   Synonyms:

   distillation, decoction

4. a solid, viscid, or liquid substance extracted from a plant, drug, or the like, containing its essence in concentrated form.

   beef extract.

extract British  

verb

1. to withdraw, pull out, or uproot by force

2. to remove or separate

3. to derive (pleasure, information, etc) from some source or situation

4. to deduce or develop (a doctrine, policy, etc)

5. informal to extort (money, etc)

6. to obtain (a substance) from a mixture or material by a chemical or physical process, such as digestion, distillation, the action of a solvent, or mechanical separation

7. to cut out or copy out (an article, passage, quotation, etc) from a publication

8. to determine the value of (the root of a number)

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noun

1. something extracted, such as a part or passage from a book, speech, etc

2. a preparation containing the active principle or concentrated essence of a material

   beef extract

   yeast extract

3. pharmacol a solution of plant or animal tissue containing the active principle

Usage

Extract is sometimes wrongly used where extricate would be better: he will find it difficult extricating (not extracting ) himself from this situation

Related Words

Extract, exact, extort, wrest imply using force to remove something. To extract is to draw forth something as by pulling, importuning, or the like: to extract a confession by torture. To exact is to impose a penalty, or to obtain by force or authority, something to which one lays claim: to exact payment. To extort is to wring something by intimidation or threats from an unwilling person: to extort money by threats of blackmail. To wrest is to take by force or violence in spite of active resistance: The courageous minority wrested power from their oppressors.

Other Word Forms

• extractability noun
• extractable adjective
• extractibility noun
• extractible adjective
• nonextractable adjective
• nonextracted adjective
• nonextractible adjective
• overextract verb (used with object)
• preextract verb (used with object)
• unextractable adjective
• unextracted adjective

Etymology

Origin of extract

First recorded in 1475–1500; from Latin extractus (past participle of extrahere ). See ex- ¹, tract ¹

Explanation

When you extract something, you remove it from a larger whole. You can extract a passage from a book, or a liquid essence from a vanilla bean—vanilla extract. Ex- means out of, and when you extract, you draw something out of something else. When listening to a complicated and long-winded story, it can be difficult to extract the truly meaningful details.

Example Sentences

Khalil’s colleagues began a desperate race to coordinate the entry of Red Cross responders to bring out the victims of the first attack and extract the two journalists, who had sheltered again in the house.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said there should be more exploration if it made environmental sense to extract from our own waters rather than to import from abroad.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The practice of harvesting search history and personal data reaches far beyond the airline industry, Owens said, and corporations across all industries use “personal data against consumers to extract maximum profit.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

The most complicated case of the finale episode comes when a patient needs emergency surgery to extract her baby, then a second team in the room works to save the oxygen-starved newborn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

It will be her task to extract them.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Related Words

• cull
• derive
• distill
• elicit
• exact
• extort
• extricate
• glean
• obtain
• pluck
• pry
• pull
• reap
• separate
• siphon
• squeeze
• withdraw
• wrest
• wring