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?

Do you exact or extract revenge?

The verb exact (as in, "exacting revenge" or "exacting a promise") is not as commonly encountered as the adjective exact, (as in "an exact copy" or "exact measurements"). Sometimes people will mistakenly use the more common verb extract when they really want exact. Extract can refer to removing something by pulling or cutting or to getting information from someone who does not want to give it. While both words refer to getting something they are used in different ways. You extract a tooth, but you exact revenge.

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

Example Sentences

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

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Advertisement Genealogists constructed family trees and reached out to possible relatives, asking them to swab their cheeks for potential DNA matches with material extracted from the bones of the dead soldiers. —John Wilkens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2023

Kratom is extracted from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 27 May 2023

In response to reports about the details of the agreement, leading conservative lawmakers and budget experts raised strong objections, arguing that McCarthy had failed to extract sufficient concessions from the Biden administration in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. —Tony Romm, Washington Post, 26 May 2023

As opposed to using traditional hacking techniques, which often involve tricking a victim into downloading malicious files, Microsoft said this group infects a victim’s existing systems to find information and extract data. —Reuters, NBC News, 25 May 2023

Distillation The process of extracting essential oils from plant materials. —Nerisha Penrose, ELLE, 25 May 2023

Microsoft's compressed file support will be handled by the open source libarchive project, and the list of file types that can be compressed and extracted will presumably match the list on libarchive's GitHub page. —Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 24 May 2023

Pegasus can infiltrate cellphones without leaving any trace of an intrusion and extract every piece of data from them: every text message, every email, every photo. —Ronen Bergman, New York Times, 23 May 2023

Such a haphazard approach not only leads to mistrust inside communities, experts say, but wastes an opportunity to extract lessons that may prevent the next tragedy. —Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 May 2023

Noun

Best Splurge SkinBetter Science Alto Defense Serum $225 at Skinbetter Another C+E combo, this serum also boasts an additional 17 antioxidants and ingredients like licorice extract for skin brightening. —Ann Kaiser, womenshealthmag.com, 31 May 2023

Continue whipping until light, fluffy, and holds shape. Notes: Add extracts such as lemon or almond to change flavor profile. —Juliet Pennington, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2023

Best Cleanser Murad Soothing Oat And Peptide Cleanser $42 at Ulta Beauty$38 at Walmart$42 at Nordstrom Credit: ulta.com Made for those with eczema-prone skin, this gentle non-stripping cleanser removes dirt and oil and replenishes with soothing oat extract and a hydrating sugar complex. —Women's Health, 9 May 2023

It’s formulated with cloudberry seed extract and hyaluronic acid to instantly moisturize, imparts a soft (not shiny) finish, and is free of allergy-triggering ingredients like menthol, essential oils, and fragrance. —Katie Chang, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023

The medium-coverage concealer is made with beloved ingredients like moisture-boosting glycerin, brightening licorice root extract, and vitamin E-rich sunflower seed oil. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Allure, 2 Apr. 2023

Fold in the flour mixture, orange zest and vanilla extract. —Chef Lilla Bernal, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Mar. 2023

Reduce the heat to a simmer, add lemon juice and extract, and stir to combine. —Tejal Rao, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2023

It's also formulated with fruit extracts, coconut water, and Hyaluronic acid to nourish your skin. —Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 14 Mar. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Latin extractus, past participle of extrahere, from ex- + trahere to draw

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

• ether extract
• extract oneself

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