extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting something

2

: ancestry, origin

a family of French extraction

3

: something extracted

Synonyms

• ancestry
• lineage
• origin
• descent
• breeding
• genealogy
• family
• pedigree

Examples of extraction in a Sentence

tooth extractions and other dental procedures

the extraction of teeth by dentists

the extraction of juices from plant matter

Recent Examples on the Web

Children received everything from exams and cleanings to crowns and extractions, all on site. —Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025

These extractions are passed to a risk analysis agent, which evaluates them against internal legal policies and regulatory templates to flag problematic or missing content. —Gopikrishnan Anilkumar, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

The Republic's review showed the end result was a mishmash of PDF files that looked different, making data extraction difficult. —Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2025

And while the mining and logging sector has lost 16,000 jobs, that category includes oil and gas extraction, which has been hit by lower crude prices and OPEC+ has ramped up production to grab market share. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English extraccioun "removal (of blood, foreign matter from the body), determination (of the root of a number)," borrowed from Late Latin extractiōn-, extractiō "withdrawal, removal," from Latin extrac-, variant stem of extrahere "to pull out, draw forth" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at extract entry 1

Note: Sense 2, attested since William Caxton, is based on Middle French extracion, estration, etc., in this meaning.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing extraction

• dilation and extraction

Rhymes for extraction

• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• impaction
• inaction
• infraction
• olfaction

Kids Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting

2

: the origin of a person

of Italian extraction

Medical Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

: the act or process of extracting something

extraction of a tooth