extract

1 of 2

verb

ex·​tract ik-ˈstrakt 

usually in sense 5

ˈek-ˌstrakt 

extracted; extracting; extracts

transitive verb

1

a

: to draw forth (as by research)

extract data

b

: to pull or take out forcibly

extracted a wisdom tooth

c

: to obtain by much effort from someone unwilling

extracted a confession

2

a

: to withdraw (something, such as a juice or a constituent element) by physical or chemical process

b

: to treat with a solvent so as to remove a soluble substance

3

: to separate (a metal) from an ore

4

: to determine (a mathematical root) by calculation

5

: to select (excerpts) and copy out or cite

extractability

ik-ˌstrak-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

(ˌ)ek-

noun

extractable

ik-ˈstrak-tə-bəl 

ˈek-ˌstrak-

adjective

extract

2 of 2

noun

ex·​tract ˈek-ˌstrakt 

1

: a selection from a writing or discourse : excerpt

2

: a product (such as an essence or concentrate) prepared by extracting

especially : a solution (as in alcohol) of essential constituents of a complex material (such as meat or an aromatic plant)

Did you know?

The Crisscrossing Histories of Abstract and Extract

Abstract is most frequently used as an adjective (“abstract ideas”) and a noun (“an abstract of the article”), but its somewhat less common use as a verb in English helps to clarify its Latin roots. The verb abstract is used to mean “summarize,” as in “abstracting an academic paper.” This meaning is a figurative derivative of the verb’s meanings “to remove” or “to separate.”

We trace the origins of abstract to the combination of the Latin roots ab-, a prefix meaning “from” or “away,” with the verb trahere, meaning “to pull” or “to draw.” The result was the Latin verb abstrahere, which meant “to remove forcibly” or “to drag away.” Its past participle abstractus had the meanings “removed,” “secluded,” “incorporeal,” and, ultimately, “summarized,” meanings which came to English from Medieval Latin.

Interestingly, the word passed from Latin into French with competing spellings as both abstract (closer to the Latin) and abstrait (which reflected the French form of abstrahere, abstraire), the spelling retained in modern French.

The idea of “removing” or “pulling away” connects abstract to extract, which stems from Latin through the combination of trahere with the prefix ex-, meaning “out of” or “away from.” Extract forms a kind of mirror image of abstract: more common as a verb, but also used as a noun and adjective. The adjective, meaning “derived or descended,” is now obsolete, as is a sense of the noun that overlapped with abstract, “summary.” The words intersected and have separated in modern English, but it’s easy to see that abstract applies to something that has been summarized, and summarized means “extracted from a larger work.”

Synonyms

Verb

• corkscrew
• prize
• pry
• pull
• root (out)
• tear (out)
• uproot
• wrest
• wring
• yank

Noun

• excerpt
• passage

Choose the Right Synonym for extract

educe, evoke, elicit, extract, extort mean to draw out something hidden, latent, or reserved.

educe implies the bringing out of something potential or latent.

educed order out of chaos

evoke implies a strong stimulus that arouses an emotion or an interest or recalls an image or memory.

a song that evokes warm memories

elicit usually implies some effort or skill in drawing forth a response.

careful questioning elicited the truth

extract implies the use of force or pressure in obtaining answers or information.

extracted a confession from him

extort suggests a wringing or wresting from one who resists strongly.

extorted their cooperation by threatening to inform

Examples of extract in a Sentence

Verb

He extracted a credit card from his wallet.

I had to have a tooth extracted.

The tumor was surgically extracted.

We finally extracted a confession from him.

Investigators were able to extract useful information from the company's financial records.

They are hoping to extract new insights from the test results.

The machines extract the juice from the apples.

oil extracted from sunflower seeds

venom extracted from poisonous snakes

Noun

The recipe calls for a tablespoon of vanilla extract.

the anthology includes a long extract from the epic poem

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Royalty rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be cut, reversing Biden’s attempts to curb fossil fuels to help address climate change. —Kevin Freking, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025

Like a professional, Blue Ivy carefully extracted the hair from her earring as swiftly as possible, even hitting a few moves with her while sorting out the wardrobe malfunction. —Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 16 May 2025

Noun

The formula consists of jojoba seed oil, cocoa extract, white tea extract, and hyaluronic acid, so the drops also double as hydrating skincare. —Izzy Baskette, People.com, 16 May 2025

This bestselling toner helps shrink pores and balance oil control without drying out the skin, thanks to its combination of mild exfoliants and soothing botanical extracts. —Ariel Wodarcyk, Glamour, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English extracten, borrowed from Latin extractus, past participle of extrahere "to pull out, draw forth," from ex- ex- entry 1 + trahere "to drag, draw, take along" — more at abstract entry 1

Noun

Middle English, "digest, summary," borrowed from Medieval Latin extractus "excerpt from a text," noun derivative from Latin extractus, past participle of extrahere "to pull out, draw forth" — more at extract entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing extract

• ether extract
• extract oneself

Rhymes for extract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• hijacked
• impact
• intact

Kids Definition

extract

1 of 2 verb

ex·​tract ik-ˈstrakt 

 usually in sense 4  ek-ˌstrakt

1

: to remove by pulling

extract a tooth

2

: to get out by pressing, distilling, or by a chemical process

extract juice from apples

3

: to calculate a mathematical root

4

: to choose and take out for separate use

extract a few lines from a poem

extractable

ik-ˈstrak-tə-bəl 

ˈek-ˌ

adjective

extractor

-tər

noun

extract

2 of 2 noun

ex·​tract ˈek-ˌstrakt 

1

: a selection from a writing

2

: a product obtained by extracting

vanilla extract

Medical Definition

extract

1 of 2 transitive verb

ex·​tract ik-ˈstrakt 

1

: to pull or take out forcibly

extracted a wisdom tooth

2

: to withdraw (as the medicinally active components of a plant or animal tissue) by physical or chemical process

also : to treat with a solvent so as to remove a soluble substance

extractability

ik-ˌstrak-tə-ˈbil-ət-ē, (ˌ)ek- 

noun

plural extractabilities

extractable adjective

also extractible

ik-ˈstrak-tə-bəl, ˈek-ˌ 

extract

2 of 2 noun

ex·​tract ˈek-ˌstrakt 

: something prepared by extracting

especially : a medicinally active pharmaceutical solution

Legal Definition

extract

noun

ex·​tract ˈek-ˌstrakt 

: a certified copy of a document that forms part of or is preserved in a public record