abstracting

verb

present participle of abstract
1
as in diverting
to draw the attention or mind to something else personal problems abstracted him so persistently that he struggled to keep his mind on his work

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2
as in summarizing
to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report) took the 135-page report and abstracted it in three short paragraphs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abstracting Retailers have a long history of abstracting layers of the customer relationship in the pursuit of lean operations and efficiency. — Brian Delp, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 This is the gap that Latitude aims to fill by helping firms make fast and affordable international payments by using stablecoin rails while abstracting away the complexity. — Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026 The process of abstracting huge news events into memes has become much faster. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026 Over the past 12 months, AWS has continued with this strategy of abstracting AI services away from AI models. — Jason Andersen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025 There’s very little Dial that is not abstracting and reflecting on one issue after another. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024 Firefly’s influence in the industry is only growing, solidifying its reputation as a leader in abstracting infrastructure complexity and delivering transformative cloud asset management solutions. — Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstracting
  1. diverting
  2. summarizing
  3. distracting
  4. outlining
Verb
  • An off-duty state trooper and an armed citizen fired at Williams as the incident unfolded, diverting him from the restaurant in an effort that likely saved lives.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Officials said both fired at Williams during what authorities described as a chaotic and fast-moving attack, diverting his attention from the restaurant as customers and employees fled.
    — Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of diverting
Verb
  • Employees are increasingly interacting with AI systems to complete tasks, such as creating documents, analyzing information, generating code, summarizing contracts, answering customer questions and supporting operational decisions.
    — Syed Ali, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • In the sole panel now summarizing Washington’s participation, nearly every paragraph makes some mention of his ostensible antislavery views.
    — John Garrison Marks, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026
Definition of summarizing
Verb
  • The Art of Peripheral Focus One of the primary challenges of a 270-degree projection is ensuring the peripheral imagery enhances the experience without distracting from the central narrative.
    — Benny Har-Even, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • In the context of tens of thousands of DPS students who aren’t making gains quickly enough to ever meet proficiency levels, such fanfare is essentially distracting braggadocio.
    — Elaine Gantz Berman, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
Definition of distracting
Verb
  • The agency’s bid analysis reflects a process in which each Part D sponsor that wants to offer a standalone plan submits a bid to CMS every year, outlining the insurer’s benefits, costs and list of reimbursable medicines.
    — Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • This month, a gay rights activist obtained the memo outlining the agreement from the Defense Department after filing a lawsuit, arguing that clarity was of public importance.
    — Jamie Stengle, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of outlining

Browse Nearby Words

abstractedness
abstracting
abstraction
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Cite this Entry

“Abstracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstracting. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on abstracting

Nglish: Translation of abstracting for Spanish Speakers

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