exact

verb ex·act \ ig-ˈzakt \

Definition of exact

transitive verb

1 :to call for forcibly or urgently and obtain

from them has been exacted the ultimate sacrifice
—D. D. Eisenhower

2 :to call for as necessary or desirable

—

exactable

play \ig-ˈzak-tə-bəl\ adjective

—

exactor

or less commonly exacter play \ig-ˈzak-tər\ noun

See exact defined for English-language learners

See exact defined for kids

exact was our Word of the Day on 11/24/2013. Hear the podcast!

Examples of exact in a Sentence

They would not rest until they had exacted revenge.
He was able to exact a promise from them.

Recent Examples of exact from the Web

Taliban fighters can create roadblocks and ambushes in almost any part of the country, disrupting commerce and exacting an ever-growing human toll.

— rod nordland, New York Times, "What an Afghanistan Victory Looks Like Under the Trump Plan," 22 Aug. 2017
While his critical posts of companies or their executives have exacted retribution in the stock market in the past, Merck’s stock never faltered Monday -- closing about half a percentage point higher for a second straight day of gains.

— jeff green, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Says CEOs Quitting Councils Aren’t Taking Jobs Seriously," 15 Aug. 2017
As Robyns sees it, Christie was intent on exacting revenge on her husband by prolonging the separation.

— stefania de vito, Scientific American, "Was Agatha Christie’s Mysterious Amnesia Real or Revenge on Her Cheating Spouse?," 2 Aug. 2017
Cersei exacts some poetic (read: messed-up) revenge.

— rawan eewshah, Allure, "Dames of Thrones: How the Ladies of "Game of Thrones" Were Badass in Episode 3 of Season 7," 31 July 2017
Composed of 2,500 light bulbs and 1,000 feet of neon tubing, the sign exacts a significant cost in electricity and maintenance.

— ian cummings, kansascity, "At KC’s Western Auto building, residents try to relight an iconic neon sign," 26 July 2017
The chassis is made from planks of walnut and bamboo, glued together and cut by computer to exact specifications.

— christopher null, WIRED, "Review: Volta V Gaming PC," 7 July 2017
When legs become Jello Mount Marathon often exacts its toll in flesh and blood, and fifth-place women's finisher Ann Spencer sported twin, thin rivulets of blood down each shin.

— nathaniel herz, Alaska Dispatch News, "At Mount Marathon, remembering fallen 16-year-old mountain runner Jack Cooper," 5 July 2017
Benchmark’s Bill Gurley, a longtime board stalwart who was present at the creation of Uber but who’d fallen out with Kalanick, is gone from the board, part of the price Kalanick exacted for stepping down.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "What’s Arianna’s Endgame at Uber?," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exact.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Exact derives from a form of the Latin verb exigere, meaning "to drive out, to demand, or to measure." (Another descendant of exigere is the word exigent, which can mean "demanding" or "requiring immediate attention.") Exigere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix ex- with the verb agere, meaning "to drive." Agere has been a very prolific source of words for English speakers; it is the ancestor of agent, react, mitigate, and navigate, just to name a few. Incidentally, if you are looking for a synonym of the verb exact, you could try demand, call for, claim, or require.

Origin and Etymology of exact

Middle English, to require as payment, from Latin exactus, past participle of exigere to drive out, demand, measure, from ex- + agere to drive — more at agent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1564

See Words from the same year

exact Synonyms

Synonyms

call (for), claim, clamor (for), command, enjoin, demand, insist (on), press (for), quest, stipulate (for)

Antonyms

remit

Related Words

ask, plead (for), request, want; cry (for), necessitate, need, require, take, warrant; requisition; impose; badger, dun, harass, hound

Near Antonyms

give up, relinquish, surrender, yield

Synonym Discussion of exact

demand, claim, require, exact mean to ask or call for something as due or as necessary. demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

- demanded payment of the debt

claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

- claimed the right to manage his own affairs

require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

- the patient requires constant attention

exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

- exacts absolute loyalty

exact

adjective

Definition of exact

1 :exhibiting or marked by strict, particular, and complete accordance with fact or a standard

2 :marked by thorough consideration or minute measurement of small factual details

—

exactness

play \ig-ˈzak(t)-nəs\ noun

See exact defined for English-language learners

Examples of exact in a Sentence

Those were his exact words.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.
We don't know the exact nature of the problem.
Predicting the path of hurricanes is not an exact science.
The police have an exact description of the killer.
Please take the most exact measurements possible.
He is very exact in the way he solves a problem.

Recent Examples of exact from the Web

Facebook, by the way, is one of the few companies to offer fully paid paternity and maternity leave, four months to be exact.

— ana veciana-suarez, miamiherald, "Mark Zuckerberg can take paid leave when his child is born, but most fathers can’t," 29 Aug. 2017
Local supplier Faurecia is now hiring welders and machine operators A respectable chunk of the state's success stories are found in the Louisville area – 20 to be exact.

— bobby shipman, The Courier-Journal, "20+ Louisville-area companies ranked among 5,000 'fastest growing' U.S. businesses by Inc. magazine," 25 Aug. 2017
A host of new laws — 673 to be exact — go into effect Sept. 1, impacting the daily lives of many throughout the state.

— anna m. tinsley, star-telegram, "Nearly 700 new Texas laws go into effect Sept. 1," 25 Aug. 2017
Clearly, portions of my devotional that day incorporate his exact words.

— julie zauzmer, chicagotribune.com, "Hillary Clinton's pastor plagiarized another minister in his new book of messages for her," 15 Aug. 2017
The exact role political entertainers should play has been up for debate long before Jon Stewart gave up his Comedy Central perch at The Daily Show, and the lines have only blurred further in the Trump era.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "‘He Is Not a President’," 15 Aug. 2017
While exact terms of the agreement were not immediately available, according to the Los Angeles officials, the IOC will advance at least $1.8 billion to the city with the goal of increasing participation and access to youth sports programs.

— rick maese, courant.com, "L.A. Agrees To Wait, Host 2028 Olympics," 31 July 2017
An agenda which basically boils down to doing the exact opposite of everything President Barack Obama did.

— sean mesidor, Essence.com, "Replacing AG Jeff Sessions With Rudy Giuliani Still Spells Trouble For Black Communities," 26 July 2017
But People just got its hands on the twins' birth certificates, revealing their exact birthdate and other details.

— lilian min, Redbook, "Beyoncé and JAY-Z Twins' Birth Certificates Finally Share Some Birth Details," 20 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of exact

Latin exactus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1533

See Words from the same year

exact Synonyms

Synonyms

accurate, bang on [chiefly British], dead-on, correct, good, on-target, precise, proper, right, so, spot-on, true, veracious

Antonyms

false, improper, inaccurate, incorrect, inexact, off, untrue, wrong

Related Words

legitimate, logical, sound, valid; errorless, faultless, flawless, impeccable, inerrant, infallible, letter-perfect, perfect; rigorous, strict, stringent

Near Antonyms

defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect

Synonym Discussion of exact

correct, accurate, exact, precise, nice, right mean conforming to fact, standard, or truth. correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

- correct answers
- socially correct dress

accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

- an accurate description

exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

- exact measurements

precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

- precise calibration

nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

- makes nice distinctions

right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

- the right thing to do

EXACT Defined for English Language Learners

exact

verb

Definition of exact for English Language Learners

: to demand and get (something, such as payment or revenge) especially by using force or threats
—used in phrases like exact a terrible toll and exact a high/heavy price to say that something has caused a lot of suffering, loss, etc.

exact

adjective

Definition of exact for English Language Learners

: fully and completely correct or accurate
: very careful and accurate

EXACT Defined for Kids

exact

adjective ex·act \ ig-ˈzakt \

Definition of exact for Students

:completely correct or precise :accurate

an exact copy

the exact time

—

exactly

adverb

—

exactness

noun

exact

verb

Definition of exact for Students

exacted; exacting

:to demand and get by force or threat

They exacted terrible revenge.

Learn More about exact

See words that rhyme with exact Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for exact Spanish Central: Translation of exact Nglish: Translation of exact for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of exact for Arabic speakers

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exact

Definition of exact

exactable

exactor

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exact was our Word of the Day on 11/24/2013. Hear the podcast!

Examples of exact in a Sentence

Recent Examples of exact from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of exact

exact Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of exact

exact

Definition of exact

exactness

Examples of exact in a Sentence

Recent Examples of exact from the Web

Origin and Etymology of exact

exact Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of exact

Phrases Related to EXACT

Related Phrases

EXACT Defined for English Language Learners

exact

Definition of exact for English Language Learners

exact

Definition of exact for English Language Learners

EXACT Defined for Kids

exact

Definition of exact for Students

exactly

exactness

exact

Definition of exact for Students

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