extract
verb (used with object)
to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force.
were extracting
-
past progressiveof extract.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
A West Virginia company that hauls coal got hit with regulations as if it were extracting the stuff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
At the time, geneticists were extracting DNA from the bones of the extinct animals and pinpointing genetic differences between them and their living elephant cousins.
From New York Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
Multiple rescue teams and residents were extracting injured passengers from the wreckage.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 29, 2023
Brazil's National Mining Agency estimated that year that wildcat gold miners were extracting some 30 tonnes of gold annually from the Tapajós watershed alone, using the toxic heavy metal mercury to separate gold from sediment.
From Reuters ● Aug. 20, 2021
Mesopotamians were extracting tons of petroleum by heating rock asphalt.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
