excerpt

noun

ex·cerpt | \ˈek-ˌsərpt,

ˈeg-ˌzərpt

Definition of excerpt

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied : extract

excerpt

verb

ex·cerpt | \excerp98,

eg-ˈzərpt, ˈek-ˌsərpt, ˈeg-ˌzərpt

excerpted; excerpting; excerpts

Definition of excerpt (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to select (a passage) for quoting : extract

2 : to take or publish extracts from (something, such as a book)

Other Words from excerpt Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about excerpt

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Other Words from excerpt

Verb

excerptor or excerpter noun

excerption \ek-ˈsərp-shən,

eg-ˈzərp- \ noun

Examples of excerpt in a Sentence

Noun

Among the excerpts and Twitter feeds and author interviews … there was the actor Will Smith praising The Alchemist as one of his favorite books. — Gregory Cowles, New York Times Book Review, 18 Oct. 2009 When his [Thomas Jefferson's] wife Martha died in 1782, he wrapped a lock of her hair with a scrap of paper containing an excerpt from the couple's favorite novel, Laurence Sterne's comic masterpiece, Tristram Shandy, and stashed the token in his desk. — Walter Kim, Time, 5 July 2004 The exemplary figure here is Norman Mailer, whose 1959 Advertisements for Myself is the height of writerly chutzpah. The book, comprising excerpts from his journalism and fiction, descriptions of the agonies he went through to produce them and obsessive reviews of his reviewers, is so shameless it's admirable. — Judith Shulevitz, New York Times Book Review, 17 June 2001 … I also keep a pad by the side of my bed for writing down great thoughts at night without having to turn on the light. In the morning, these great thoughts sound like excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls. — Bill Cosby, Time Flies, (1987) 1988 She read an excerpt from the play. I've read only excerpts of Moby-Dick, never the whole book.

Verb

The fiction that the magazine does publish is too often excerpted from novels or imminently forthcoming collections, making the magazine seem more a flack for publishers than a site of editorial strength and vision. — Vince Passaro, Harper's, August 1999 How quickly does the Net move? Last Friday journalist Michael Colton posted an elaborate Web parody of the forthcoming magazine Talk, which is owned by Miramax and helmed by former New Yorker editor Tina Brown. Within hours, the site's URL had ricocheted about in countless e-mails, and the Drudge Report had excerpted the text. — Newsweek, 26 July 1999

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The following excerpts have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. — Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Anthony Bourdain dishes on Trump, Detroit, terrible food in 2016," 8 June 2018 Ahead of its release, Billboard is sharing an exclusive excerpt. — Scott Bradlee, Billboard, "Scott Bradlee Shares How Postmodern Jukebox Got Him Fired From Walmart: Exclusive 'Outside the Jukebox' Book Excerpt," 7 June 2018 Penglase admitted Tuesday to leaking the tapes, excerpts of which were aired last week, first on NBC10 and later on FOX29. — Erin Mccarthy, Philly.com, "Lawyer for Sean Kratz, accused with Cosmo DiNardo of murders on Bucks County farm, says he will investigate release of incriminating tapes," 23 May 2018 The excerpts also shed light on the anxiety that rippled through President Trump's orbit a year later, as news of the meeting became public and his aides and lawyers tried to manage the story. — Anchorage Daily News, "Thousands of pages of congressional testimony shed light on 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians," 16 May 2018 The most exciting part of the talk came when cellist Jay Campbell joined her to discuss the Cello Concerto and perform short excerpts in a tantalizing preview of what was to come. — Jessica Rudman, courant.com, "HSO Plays A Superb Shostakovich Program To Two Standing Ovations," 5 May 2018 Many chapters begin with excerpts from the author's psychological and school evaluations over the years. — Zlati Meyer, USA TODAY, "'Little Panic': How the Etan Patz kidnapping terrorized author Amanda Stern," 10 July 2018 The text frequently shifts to the first-person singular, along with excerpts from interviews Sanger has had with officials up to and including the president of the United States. — Paul R. Pillar, New York Times, "Cyberwarfare — the Latest Technology of Destruction," 19 June 2018 Teen Vogue has the exclusive cover reveal of Dealing in Dreams along with an excerpt from the first chapter. — Lilliam Rivera, Teen Vogue, ""Dealing in Dreams" from Lilliam Rivera Is a Riveting Story About a Young Latina Fighting for a Better Home," 31 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

That’s what Tom Bower says in his new unauthorized biography of the Prince of Wales, Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles — pages of which were excerpted in The Daily Mail on Saturday. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Prince Charles Felt Threatened by Prince William and Kate Middleton's Popularity: New Book," 17 Mar. 2018 The following story is excerpted from TIME’s special edition, 100 Most Healing Foods, which is available in stores, at the Meredith Shop and at Amazon. — Alexandra Sifferlin, Time, "11 Best Foods For Your Immune System," 19 June 2018 This essay is excerpted from Custodians of the Internet by Tarleton Gillespie, published by Yale University Press and used by permission. — Tarleton Gillespie, WIRED, "How Social Networks Set the Limits of What We Can Say Online," 26 June 2018 The following is excerpted from Davey Johnson: My Wild Ride in Baseball and Beyond by Davey Johnson with Erik Sherman is printed with the permission of Triumph Books. — Davey Johnson, SI.com, "What It Was Like to Manage a Rookie Doc Gooden, the Gritty Wally Backman and the New York Mets," 1 June 2018 By Leslie Carroll Leslie Carroll provides heavily researched insight into the newest member of the royal family in American Princess (William Morrow), excerpted here. — Keziah Weir, Vanities, "All the Books to Read for Your Post-Wedding Royals Fix," 24 May 2018 In a wide-ranging story for Vulture that is excerpted from a forthcoming monograph, author Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah profiles figurative painter Henry Taylor, who had five new paintings exhibited at last year’s Whitney Biennial. — Danielle Jackson, Longreads, "‘Wild With Love’: Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah on the Portraits of Henry Taylor," 12 July 2018 Their determination is captured in a 17-minute documentary, Awakening: After Parkland, premiering Monday on Topic.com and excerpted exclusively above. — Jeff Truesdell, PEOPLE.com, "Parkland Shooting Survivors Find Inspiration, Purpose in Staging Timely Musical Born of Teenage Pain," 29 June 2018 Only two Bournonville excerpts shone with a singularity that revealed the personable warmth and gestural ease long associated with the company’s dancers. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "A Mixed Bill With Varied Results," 22 June 2018

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