distill

verb

dis·​till di-ˈstil 

variants or less commonly distil

distilled; distilling

transitive verb

1

: to let fall, exude, or precipitate (see precipitate entry 1 sense 3b) in drops or in a wet mist

some caves are dry, others distill water from invisible rifts

—Norman Douglas

2

a

: to purify or transform (a liquid) by successive evaporation and condensation : to subject to or transform by distillation

distill molasses into rum

b

: to obtain by or as if by distillation

distill whiskey

able to distill humor from personal loss

c

: to extract the essence of : concentrate

distill the experience into a poem

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fall or materialize in drops or in a fine moisture

b

: to appear slowly or in small quantities at a time

2

a

: to undergo distillation

b

: to perform distillation

Synonyms

• dribble
• drip
• drop
• trickle

Examples of distill in a Sentence

They distill the whiskey from malted barley.

He has perfectly distilled the meaning of the holiday into a poem.

Recent Examples on the Web

Chapter One of the Vanguards Collection came out in 2023, a 45-year-old single malt named after Robert Muir, the employee who is credited as receiving the first license to distill in 1773. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 Oct. 2024

Ali Al-Ahmed, a dissident Saudi scholar who kept in touch with Sahar, sent me a photograph of an apparatus that the sisters had jerry-rigged to distill fresh water from the sea, and one of a copper hook for catching fish and crabs. —Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024

The ambitious project aimed to distill the essence of the vast Hindu epic, exploring themes of war, ethics and power across generations. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2024

In moments like these, comics of Rock’s caliber know how to distill tragedy to its most hilariously simplistic elements. —Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English distillen, from Anglo-French distiller, from Late Latin distillare, alteration of Latin destillare, from de- + stillare to drip, from stilla drop

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

distill

verb

dis·​till

variants also distil

dis-ˈtil 

distilled; distilling

: to obtain or purify by distillation

Medical Definition

distill

verb

dis·​till

variants also distil

dis-ˈtil 

distilled; distilling

transitive verb

1

: to subject to or transform by distillation

2

: to obtain by or as if by distillation

3

: to obtain an extract from (as a plant) by infusion and distillation

making medicines by distilling herbs

intransitive verb

1

: to undergo distillation

2

: to condense or drop from a still after distillation