excise

1 of 3

noun

ex·​cise ˈek-ˌsīz 

-ˌsīs

1

: an internal tax levied on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of a commodity

2

: any of various taxes on privileges often assessed in the form of a license or fee

excise

2 of 3

verb (1)

ex·​cise ˈek-ˌsīz 

-ˌsīs, 

ik-ˈsīz 

excised; excising

transitive verb

: to impose an excise on

excise

3 of 3

verb (2)

ex·​cise ik-ˈsīz 

excised; excising

transitive verb

: to remove by or as if by excision

excise a tumor

All the most scandalous parts had been excised from the diary.

Did you know?

Excise takes part of its meaning from the prefix ex-, "out". A writer may excise long passages of a novel to reduce it to a reasonable length, or a film director may excise a scene that might give offense. A surgeon may excise a large cancerous tumor, or make a tiny excision to examine an organ's tissue. Excise is also a noun, meaning a tax paid on something manufactured and sold in the U.S. Much of what consumers pay for tobacco or alcohol products go to cover the excise taxes that the state and federal government charge the manufacturers. But it's only accidental that this noun is spelled like the verb, since it comes from a completely different source.

Examples of excise in a Sentence

Noun

an excise imposed on a number of goods

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Chancellor Gordon Brown reacted by cutting duty on ultra-low sulphur petrol, freezing duty on other grades of motor fuel, putting more vehicles into the lowest vehicle excise duty band — a tax cut for most lorries — and taxing foreign truckers using British roads. —Ian King, CNBC, 18 Mar. 2026

The surprise bid was one of a few notable things in the proxy, the other big one being a deal with WBD CEO David Zaslav for a tax reimbursement program, which will potentially see the company offset taxes owed thanks to the size of the excise taxes that could come from the merger closing. —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Mar. 2026

Verb

Many luxuries that make the MacBook Air (and MacBook Pro above it) so pleasant to use have been excised from this new member of the family. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026

Lee — who was excised from Jackie’s will — gets an invite, but Berman doesn’t? —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

obsolete Dutch excijs (now accijns), from Middle Dutch, probably modification of Old French assise session, assessment — more at assize

Verb (2)

Latin excisus, past participle of excidere, from ex- + caedere to cut

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1652, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1663, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing excise

• excise tax

Rhymes for excise

• advice
• allspice
• concise
• device
• entice
• fordyce
• precise
• suffice
• dice
• feis
• gneiss
• grice

Kids Definition

excise

1 of 2 noun

ex·​cise ˈek-ˌsīz 

-ˌsīs

: a tax on the manufacture, sale, or use of certain goods within a country

excise

2 of 2 verb

ex·​cise ek-ˈsīz 

excised; excising

: to remove by cutting out

excise a tumor

excision

-ˈsizh-ən

noun

Etymology

Noun

from obsolete Dutch excijs "tax," probably derived from early French assise "assessment"

Verb

from Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "to cut out," from ex- "out, out of" and caedere "to cut"

Medical Definition

excise

transitive verb

ex·​cise ik-ˈsīz 

excised; excising

: to remove by excision : resect

excise a tumor

Legal Definition

excise

noun

ex·​cise ˈek-ˌsīz, -ˌsīs 

1

: a tax levied on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of a commodity compare income tax, property tax

2

: any of various taxes on privileges often assessed in the form of a license or other fee compare direct tax

excise transitive verb