extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting something

2

: ancestry, origin

a family of French extraction

3

: something extracted

Synonyms of extraction

• ancestry
• lineage
• origin
• descent
• breeding
• genealogy
• family
• pedigree

Examples of extraction in a Sentence

tooth extractions and other dental procedures

the extraction of teeth by dentists

the extraction of juices from plant matter

Recent Examples on the Web

At the start of September, President Javier Milei announced restrictions on companies involved in oil extraction, along with additional military funding. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 30 Sep. 2026

If the United States moves ahead with mining in open ocean areas, countries that have signed on to international laws restricting extraction, including China, India, and Russia, will likely cry foul. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

At $1 per million input tokens and $5 per million output tokens, direct model charges reach roughly $150,000, before extraction, monitoring, storage and human review are counted. — Monica Hovsepian, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

The question for Maier was how to invite viewers into a dialogue about extraction that was grounded in posthumanist thought, machine intelligence, and algorithmic self-awareness. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English extraccioun "removal (of blood, foreign matter from the body), determination (of the root of a number)," borrowed from Late Latin extractiōn-, extractiō "withdrawal, removal," from Latin extrac-, variant stem of extrahere "to pull out, draw forth" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at extract entry 1

Note: Sense 2, attested since William Caxton, is based on Middle French extracion, estration, etc., in this meaning.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing extraction

• dilation and extraction

Rhymes for extraction

• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• impaction
• inaction
• infraction
• olfaction

Kids Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting

2

: the origin of a person

of Italian extraction

Medical Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

: the act or process of extracting something

extraction of a tooth