extract
Americanverb (used with object)
-
extracts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
extracted,
past participle, past
-
extracting
present participle
-
to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force.
to extract a tooth.
-
to deduce (a doctrine, principle, interpretation, etc.).
He extracted a completely personal meaning from what was said.
-
to derive or obtain (pleasure, comfort, etc.) from a particular source.
He extracted satisfaction from the success of his sons.
-
to take or copy out (matter), as from a book.
-
to make excerpts from (a book, pamphlet, etc.).
-
to extort (information, money, etc.).
to extract a secret from someone.
-
to separate or obtain (a juice, ingredient, etc.) from a mixture by pressure, distillation, treatment with solvents, or the like.
-
Mathematics.
-
to determine (the root of a quantity that has a single root).
-
to determine (a root of a quantity that has multiple roots).
-
noun
-
extracts
plural
-
something extracted.
-
a passage taken from a book, article, etc.; excerpt; quotation.
-
a solution or preparation containing the active principles of a drug, plant juice, or the like; concentrated solution.
vanilla extract.
- Synonyms:
- distillation, decoction
-
a solid, viscid, or liquid substance extracted from a plant, drug, or the like, containing its essence in concentrated form.
beef extract.
verb
-
to withdraw, pull out, or uproot by force
-
to remove or separate
-
to derive (pleasure, information, etc) from some source or situation
-
to deduce or develop (a doctrine, policy, etc)
-
informal to extort (money, etc)
-
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
-
to cut out or copy out (an article, passage, quotation, etc) from a publication
-
to determine the value of (the root of a number)
noun
-
something extracted, such as a part or passage from a book, speech, etc
-
a preparation containing the active principle or concentrated essence of a material
beef extract
yeast extract
-
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
-
extractabilitynoun
-
extractibilitynoun
-
overextractverb (used with object)
-
preextractverb (used with object)
-
extractableadjective
-
extractibleadjective
-
nonextractableadjective
-
nonextractedadjective
-
nonextractibleadjective
-
unextractableadjective
-
unextractedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
extractsimple
-
extractssimple
-
have extractedperfect
-
has extractedperfect
-
am extractingprogressive
-
are extractingprogressive
-
is extractingprogressive
-
have been extractingperfect progressive
-
has been extractingperfect progressive
Past
-
extractedsimple
-
had extractedperfect
-
was extractingprogressive
-
were extractingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 12–15
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
On the Nepali side of the border, the military located people trapped in the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, where they were working to find a way in to extract the survivors.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
I think now we are optimising the chassis side and we are able to extract the maximum.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
It can be more difficult to extract clients from family businesses and farms, and for families to split these assets.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Four ocean rescue swimmers jumped into the ocean and dived down to the submerged vehicle, where they were able to successfully extract the victim, who was later identified by her family as Alli Renee Singh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Such was the skill of the Chinchorro at preserving human flesh that scientists have been able to extract intact DNA from cadavers thousands of years older than the Egyptian pyramids.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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
For humans, the abundant minerals and anti-inflammatory properties of certain seaweeds have seen their extracts used in medicines from treating acid reflux to wound dressings.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
It's a far cry from basin depths in Silesia -- a historic coal mining region in southern Poland where he still extracts the ore.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
I roll my eyes—but Nick extracts himself from the guys and follows Simon and me onto the porch.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Once the rare earth concentrate has been extracted from the wastewater, the individual elements must then be separated out and processed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
These compounds can then be extracted and turned into plastic-like materials.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
Asked about the lawsuit during questioning, Turner said, “We’re working on that right now,” then shifted to a brown lunch bag pulled from the lectern from which he extracted several items.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The car lacked the pace to contend for points, but Ocon at least extracted more from the difficult weekend than Bearman.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Working carefully, Jeremy extracted her from the bush.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
He wants the government to help local miners establish safer and more effective ways of finding and extracting the gold.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Ms. Southon is gifted at extracting maximum value from minimal evidence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Two other Republicans who had threatened Blanche’s nomination, Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, ultimately voted to confirm him after extracting concessions.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
While its emissions are lower, drilling and extracting it causes the leakage of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas and the main component of natural gas.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Door responded by extracting a small box from his goody bag and opening it.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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.
