ex·cerpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt 
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
: a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied : extract
ex·cerpt
ek-ˈsərpt
eg-ˈzərpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
eg-ˈzərpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
excerpted; excerpting; excerpts
1
: to select (a passage) for quoting : extract
2
: to take or publish extracts from (something, such as a book)
excerptor
noun
or excerpter
ex·cerp·tion
ekˈs|ərpshən
ikˈs|,
|ə̄p-,
|əip- sometimes egˈz- or igˈz-
plural -s
1
archaic
: extract
2
: an act or process of excerpting especially in the selection of material for an abridgment
Examples of excerpt in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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
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
Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 7 June 2026
Only five of the questions are new, and USA TODAY excerpted one of them last week.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for excerpt
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Noun
The composition explores themes of freedom, liberty and gratitude, culminating with excerpts from the Declaration of Independence.
—Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Verb
The following was excerpted and adapted from a commencement speech given at Bard College on May 23.
—Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 7 June 2026
Only five of the questions are new, and USA TODAY excerpted one of them last week.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for excerpt
Cite this Entry
“Excerpt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excerpt. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
excerpt
2 of 2 noun
ex·cerpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
: a part taken from a longer work
read an excerpt from the play
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