extricate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
extricates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
extricated,
past participle, past
-
extricating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
extricatesimple
-
extricatessimple
-
have extricatedperfect
-
has extricatedperfect
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am extricatingprogressive
-
are extricatingprogressive
-
is extricatingprogressive
-
have been extricatingperfect progressive
-
has been extricatingperfect progressive
Past
-
extricatedsimple
-
had extricatedperfect
-
was extricatingprogressive
-
were extricatingprogressive
-
had been extricatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of extricate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin extricātus (past participle of extricāre ), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + tric(ae) “perplexities” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
If you need to be untangled, set free or otherwise released from something or someone, you need to be extricated. Extricate is a mixture of the prefix ex, which means "out" or "out of," and the Latin word tricae, which means "hindrances." So to extricate is to get out of what's hindering you. But it's not always so simple. You just try and extricate yourself from the loving death grip of a grandma who hasn't seen you in awhile!
Vocabulary lists containing extricate
Ender's Game
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam" (1967)
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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:
“Our priority is to get in and complete any rescues if possible. In this case, the plane was heavily damaged and we were not able to extricate any of the victims,” Raines said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
So, what does behavioral science say about how to extricate your loved one from a situation like this?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Ganesh Aryaal, the chief district officer, told BBC Nepali that relatives will still be able to extricate the remains of their loved ones, once they are identified through DNA testing.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Meanwhile, despite these woes, I was able to extricate some March Madness picks from the collective wisdom, or otherwise, of the major AI platforms.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
I take the opportunity to extricate my arm and rise.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
“The disposal of the Russian hygiene entity extricates the company from a business that cast a shadow over its first-quarter results,” the analyst said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The lovestruck theme continues on Opalite, whose breezy chords and Abba-esque harmonies unfurl like a blossoming romance; and Wi$h Li$t, where Swift extricates herself from the Hollywood pack for a life of domestic bliss.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
McManus throws ladders, extricates people from car crashes, breaks down doors and conducts search-and-rescue operations.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
Wide awake at 3:42 a.m., she quietly extricates herself from the man sleeping beside her, rises from their bed and, after a few ominously involved precautions, slips out into the night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2020
This wall then suddenly splits along the longimesial line of the dorsum, and through this rent the dragon extricates itself in soft and defenceless condition, but of markedly larger size.
From Insect Stories by Vernon L. (Vernon Lyman) Kellogg
The cause was never confirmed, but conspiratorial neighbors note that the fire extricated the owner from a money pit that was drowning in permit violations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The U.S. extricated a pair of vessels but triggered an escalation from Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
This ascent cannot be extricated from a geopolitical context that has seen Europe battling for relevance while other major powers jostle for supremacy in many areas, notably AI.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025
Their bodies were extricated not by trained rescuers, but by locals who used rudimentary equipment.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025
He had been tricked by it himself, but he had extricated himself without asking or receiving help from any man; let anyone else who might be so imposed upon do the same.—
From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner
The dogs secured outside the room - and her husband wishing he was with them - Bloor began carefully extricating herself.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
He lets the film pause and breathe, believably extricating Pansy from her pain for just a moment to give her a taste of what reprieve and lightness might look like.
From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2025
Zwirner would not disclose the financial terms of extricating the gallery from that project.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
After extricating herself from a toxic ex-boyfriend, Anna decides she’d like to have a child.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2023
“How well I know the pain of a broken heart,” the widow murmured, extricating her hands from the admiral’s.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
