extraction
Americannoun
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an act or instance of extracting.
the extraction of a molar.
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the state or fact of being extracted.
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descent or lineage.
to be of foreign extraction.
noun
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the act of extracting or the condition of being extracted
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something extracted; an extract
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the act or an instance of extracting a tooth or teeth
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a tooth or teeth extracted
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origin, descent, lineage, or ancestry
of German extraction
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of extraction
1375–1425; late Middle English extraccioun < Late Latin extractiōn- (stem of extractiō ). See extract, -ion
Explanation
Extraction is the action of removing something. For example, when the dentist yanks out your rotten tooth, the extraction is complete! In addition to this wince-inducing meaning, the noun extraction is the process of separating out something from a chemical mixture or compound. Take decaffeinated coffee — the caffeine is removed by extraction, so you've got science to thank for not being jittery after breakfast. Extraction can also refer to your family background. If you are of Greek extraction, for example, your family history can be traced back to Greece.
Vocabulary lists containing extraction
Smile
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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.
Both cast debt as a bogeyman turning capitalism into an extraction device that, left unchecked or unwisely channeled, can take everything from any of us.
From Salon • May 4, 2026
However, BP said its upstream production - which refers to the search and extraction of oil and gas - had been flat in the quarter.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
A 2025 study in Botanical Sciences examined chinicuil extraction from Agave applanata populations and found that populations without extraction had higher growth rates.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
Very outspoken compared to other Silicon Valley bosses, Signal's president is Meredith Whittaker, who spent years working for Google and is a fierce critic of business models built on the extraction of personal data.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
While the refinement and construction of the uranium plants were taking place, Glenn Seaborg ran his own race to perfect a plutonium extraction process.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
