extract
Americanverb (used with object)
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extracts,
present (3rd person singular)
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extracted,
past participle, past
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extracting
present participle
-
to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force.
to extract a tooth.
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to deduce (a doctrine, principle, interpretation, etc.).
He extracted a completely personal meaning from what was said.
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to derive or obtain (pleasure, comfort, etc.) from a particular source.
He extracted satisfaction from the success of his sons.
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to take or copy out (matter), as from a book.
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to make excerpts from (a book, pamphlet, etc.).
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to extort (information, money, etc.).
to extract a secret from someone.
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to separate or obtain (a juice, ingredient, etc.) from a mixture by pressure, distillation, treatment with solvents, or the like.
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Mathematics.
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to determine (the root of a quantity that has a single root).
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to determine (a root of a quantity that has multiple roots).
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noun
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extracts
plural
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something extracted.
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a passage taken from a book, article, etc.; excerpt; quotation.
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a solution or preparation containing the active principles of a drug, plant juice, or the like; concentrated solution.
vanilla extract.
- Synonyms:
- distillation, decoction
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a solid, viscid, or liquid substance extracted from a plant, drug, or the like, containing its essence in concentrated form.
beef extract.
verb
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to withdraw, pull out, or uproot by force
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to remove or separate
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to derive (pleasure, information, etc) from some source or situation
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to deduce or develop (a doctrine, policy, etc)
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informal to extort (money, etc)
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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
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to cut out or copy out (an article, passage, quotation, etc) from a publication
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to determine the value of (the root of a number)
noun
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something extracted, such as a part or passage from a book, speech, etc
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a preparation containing the active principle or concentrated essence of a material
beef extract
yeast extract
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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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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extractabilitynoun
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extractibilitynoun
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overextractverb (used with object)
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preextractverb (used with object)
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extractableadjective
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extractibleadjective
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nonextractableadjective
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nonextractedadjective
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nonextractibleadjective
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unextractableadjective
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unextractedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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extractsimple
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extractssimple
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have extractedperfect
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has extractedperfect
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am extractingprogressive
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are extractingprogressive
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is extractingprogressive
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have been extractingperfect progressive
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has been extractingperfect progressive
Past
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extractedsimple
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had extractedperfect
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was extractingprogressive
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were extractingprogressive
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had been extractingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing extract
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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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:
Paladin works with Critical Materials Recycling, a Boone, Iowa company that is commercializing a leaching process developed at Ames National Laboratory to extract nearly all the rare earths from electronic waste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
Cellular respiration is the series of chemical reactions that allows cells to extract usable energy from nutrients.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
The achievement highlights how much information astronomers can extract from seemingly tiny amounts of light.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
There are a number of ways the chancellor could extract more money from the sector.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
In spite of everything, he must reach Reilly and extract an explanation and confession.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
In further extracts published on Thursday, he claimed how the King "sounded giddily elated" when he called him after Diana's death, alleging Charles sounded like a "lottery winner".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
The company is most known for its camera network, which extracts data about cars from photographs and allows operators to search for vehicles by description or license plate number.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
About 70% of Happy Hippo’s sales come from plain-leaf powder and capsules, with the remainder from concentrated liquid extracts, gummies and flavor-infused taffy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Tests showed that extracts from the bean gum lowered HPV levels by 93% in saliva samples.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
The shelves are lined with apothecary bottles that twinkle like jewels, as well as clear jars and magnificent flasks containing resins, balms, waxes, and oils made from flowers, plant secretions, and extracts.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Gas will be extracted offshore Cyprus, transported via subsea pipes to Egypt where it will be super-cooled and liquefied at the Damietta LNG terminal on the Mediterranean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The decision - which comes after years of debate and legal challenges - will pave the way for gas to be extracted from it and used in Britain's gas network within weeks.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
To find the biological machinery behind this unusual behavior, Lerner extracted DNA from the entire community of microorganisms living in the soil samples.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
He has also successfully extracted multimillion-dollar settlements from CBS and ABC after suing the networks over news content he believed treated him unfairly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mrs. Odom extracted herself from the embrace, but her cheeks were flushed with pride.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
The frontal cortex, meanwhile, is more involved in extracting broader meaning, recognizing patterns, and understanding the central message of an experience, sometimes called its "gist."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Other companies are extracting insights from large amounts of data for algorithmic-pricing strategies.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Copper ore grades are declining, pushing up the cost of extracting copper, and mine projects face high permitting and regulatory hurdles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
He, too, said he abstains from getting involved due to the damage illegal mining does to the land, especially as a result of the chemicals used for extracting gold.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
But Harry had no possibility of extracting the wand concealed under his robes without being noticed by the Death Eaters, who marched on either side of them through the slowly lightening darkness....
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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