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

… a goodly sized back-log of red oak … still hissed with the heat, and distilled streams of water from each end …

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

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 of distill

• drip
• pour
• flow

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

Another example is science journalism—a reporting type that requires journalists to have knowledge in certain areas in order to interpret jargon-laden information accurately and then distill it into media products that are understandable to their readers or viewers. —Tham Thi Nguyen, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026

This development could enable robots to stop blindly calculating and start thinking by teaching machines to distill experiences into reusable knowledge. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026

Becoming a mom has also helped to distill and clarify exactly what my priorities are, especially on the business side. —Kelsey Schagemann, Midwest Living, 22 May 2026

But even then, only three counties were allowed to distill. —Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for distill

• anthill
• backfill
• bluegill
• crossbill
• distil
• downhill
• dunghill
• foothill
• fulfil
• fulfill
• goodwill
• gristmill

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