excerpt

play

verb ex·cerpt \ ek-ˈsərpt , eg-ˈzərpt , ˈek-ˌsərpt , ˈeg-ˌzərpt \

Definition of excerpt

transitive verb

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

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

—

excerptor

or excerpter noun

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excerption

play \ek-ˈsərp-shən, eg-ˈzərp-\ noun

See excerpt defined for English-language learners

See excerpt defined for kids

Examples of excerpt in a Sentence

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 of excerpt from the Web

This article was excerpted from Health Affairs and can be read in full at healthaffairs.org.

— katti gray, chicagotribune.com, "Clinical trials need more minorities," 21 Aug. 2017
Their responses, sent independently over email, are excerpted below.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "We asked the experts: What do Trump’s low approval ratings actually mean?," 21 Aug. 2017
Davis said in a Q&A with Robert S. Godlewski of KSU’s University Relations department , and excerpted here with permission.

— jennifer brett, ajc, "“Sharknado” could *totally* happen, KSU biology professor says," 31 July 2017
Excerpted from Day Drinking: 50 Cocktails for a Mellow Buzz by Kat Odell (Workman Publishing).

— maya kroth, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Sunshine + low-octane spirits = perfect day drinking conditions," 28 July 2017
Let’s look at the pertinent regulations, excerpted below (with my italics).

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "Sessions, Trump, and the ‘Counterintelligence’ Confusion," 26 July 2017
To take just one example, the up-and-coming rapper 21 Savage offers his newest album for free streaming in its entirety on Spotify, but only excerpts on SoundCloud.

— david z. morris, Fortune, "The Fumbles That Led SoundCloud Into Deep Trouble," 23 July 2017
Looser also discusses how academia has treated Austen and how her novels have been taught in schools, partly by means of textbooks that have excerpted, cut and manipulated her work.

— jane smiley, New York Times, "The Austen Legacy: Why and How We Love Her, What She Loved," 11 July 2017
The following is excerpted from the book The Quarterback Whisperer by Bruce Arians, to be published on July 11, 2017 by Hachette Books, a division of Hachette Book Group.

— bruce arians and lars anderson, SI.com, "Ten things you (probably) didn't know about Bruce Arians, the Cardinals' head coach," 7 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of excerpt

Latin excerptus, past participle of excerpere, from ex- + carpere to gather, pluck — more at harvest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody