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

• drip

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

But developers are often reluctant to disclose their proprietary algorithms or data sources, both to protect intellectual property and because the complexity can be hard to distill. —Turgay Ayer, The Conversation, 11 July 2025

As one of only five Black women to lead a billion-dollar company, Weaver’s work not only preserves the legacy of Nearest Green—the formerly enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to distill—but reclaims a rightful place for Black craftsmanship and entrepreneurship in the American narrative. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 10 July 2025

Making art used to be a uniquely human endeavor, but machines have learned to distill human creativity with generative AI. —ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025

This visual clarity demonstrates your ability to distill complexity, a hallmark of true market leadership. —Yogesh Shah, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

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