extricate

[ek-stri-keyt]

See more synonyms for extricate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ex·tri·cat·ed, ex·tri·cat·ing.

to free or release from entanglement; disengage: to extricate someone from a dangerous situation.
to liberate (gas) from combination, as in a chemical process.

Origin of extricate

1605–15; < Latin extricātus (past participle of extricāre), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + tric(ae) perplexities + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsex·tri·ca·tion, nounnon·ex·tri·ca·tion, nounun·ex·tri·cat·ed, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for extricate on Thesaurus.com

1. loose, rescue, deliver, save, recover.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for extricate

Contemporary Examples

To extricate himself, he surrendered to the government the management of, and revenues from, most of his property.
Britain's Welfare Queen
Tom Sykes
February 18, 2014
This week, Merkel ominously said she expects it will take Europe another decade to extricate itself from the crisis.
Is Europe's Troubled Marriage Doomed?
Stefan Theil
November 6, 2011
George W. Bush set the trap just over nine years ago, and the Democrats are still trying to extricate themselves.
The GOP's Fiscal Time Bomb
Howard Kurtz
December 2, 2010
A bit more urgent is how to extricate ourselves from this stinker of a GECSTGD.
Sarah Palin, the Sequel
Christopher Buckley
November 10, 2008

Historical Examples

Money was needful to extricate him from this drudgery and let him follow up his aspirations.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
But Shakib is in such a business tangle that he could not extricate himself in a day.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
Before the animal could extricate itself Mary-'Gusta had seized it in her arms.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln
He could extricate himself by criminating his dead father, but that he should never do.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
Still, he conceived that he had gone too far to extricate himself.
St. Martin's Summer
Rafael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for extricate

extricate

verb (tr)

to remove or free from complication, hindrance, or difficulty; disentangle

Derived Formsextricable, adjectiveextrication, noun

Word Origin

C17: from Latin extrīcāre to disentangle, from ex- 1 + trīcae trifles, vexations

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See extract

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

Word Origin and History for extricate

v.

1610s, from Latin extricatus, past participle of extricare "disentangle," perhaps from ex- "out of" + tricae (plural) "perplexities, hindrances," of unknown origin. Related: Extricated; extricating.

extricate

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}extricate

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for extricate

Contemporary Examples

To extricate himself, he surrendered to the government the management of, and revenues from, most of his property.

This week, Merkel ominously said she expects it will take Europe another decade to extricate itself from the crisis.

George W. Bush set the trap just over nine years ago, and the Democrats are still trying to extricate themselves.

A bit more urgent is how to extricate ourselves from this stinker of a GECSTGD.

Historical Examples

Money was needful to extricate him from this drudgery and let him follow up his aspirations.

But Shakib is in such a business tangle that he could not extricate himself in a day.

Before the animal could extricate itself Mary-'Gusta had seized it in her arms.

He could extricate himself by criminating his dead father, but that he should never do.

Still, he conceived that he had gone too far to extricate himself.

extricate

Word Origin

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Word Origin and History for extricate

v.

Origin of extricate