distillation

noun

dis·​til·​la·​tion ˌdi-stə-ˈlā-shən 

1

a

: the process of purifying a liquid by successive evaporation and condensation

b

: a process like distillation

gradual distillation of the truth

also : an instance of such distilling

2

: something distilled : distillate sense 2

Examples of distillation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That range covers a variety of applications, including pasteurization and sterilization of dairy products, cooking and cleaning in food production, and distillation processes in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026

Designed by Mies van der Rohe, Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie offers up the ideal venue for Brancusi’s crisp distillations of form, at least in theory. — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2026

After distillation, the tequila was aged for a minimum of three years in new American oak barrels with medium and high char levels, as well as in French oak casks that were previously used to age Amarone wine, a dry red wine from Italy. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2026

Anthropic and OpenAI have accused Chinese open-weight model makers of large-scale, unauthorized distillation, a technique used to copy proprietary AI models. — Christopher K. Tong, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing distillation

• destructive distillation

Rhymes for distillation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

distillation

noun

dis·​til·​la·​tion ˌdis-tə-ˈlā-shən 

: a process of heating a liquid or solid until it sends off a vapor and then cooling the vapor until it becomes liquid

Medical Definition

distillation

noun

dis·​til·​la·​tion ˌdis-tə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: a process that consists of driving gas or vapor from liquids or solids by heating and condensing to liquid products and that is used especially for purification, fractionation, or the formation of new substances

2

: something distilled