Definition of distill
distilled;
distilling
transitive verb
1
:to let fall, exude, or precipitate (see 1precipitate 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
