distilling

verb

present participle of distill
1
as in dripping
to fall or let fall in or as if in drops the basement walls distill water every time it rains heavily

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in filtering
to remove usually visible impurities from distill the water before pouring it in the steam iron

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 distilling To catch up, Anthropic and others say Chinese labs are distilling their models—a violation of their terms. — Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026 In general, Daosist alchemy is understood as distilling elements of the world into potent spiritual essences. — Michael Naparstek, The Conversation, 6 July 2026 Wyoming Whiskey began distilling in 2009, three years after its official founding. — David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 This is The Bear at its most efficiently entertaining, its narrower focus and leaner run times distilling its strengths into a streamlined whole. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 June 2026 Marketing gurus have spent decades on the art and science of distilling a brand message into super-short 15- or 30-second ad bursts. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 June 2026 Putin was distilling a bit of history there. — Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 8 June 2026 Normally, that involves making stone tools, butchering deer, or distilling birch tar. — ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026 Mount Gay has been distilling and aging high-quality rum at its Barbados distillery for more than 300 years. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distilling
  1. dripping
  2. filtering
  3. flowing
  4. clarifying
  5. pouring
  6. refining
  7. extracting
Verb
  • The result is an urgent, propulsive song with a raw spirit and some of Pop’s most super-charged writing with deceptively simple lyrics about love and war, dripping with desperation.
    — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • The simulations that captured the localized effects of individual large impacts also produced wholesale recycling of crust back into the mantle, with material dripping down to depths of at least 600 kilometers.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026
Definition of dripping
Verb
  • Without daylight filtering into the room, getting out of bed suddenly felt much harder than usual.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026
  • Then control runs downhill to individual school districts, filtering through local school boards and even principals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of filtering
Verb
  • The chances started flowing as Argentina laid siege to the England goal.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
  • To keep water flowing while negotiations continued, the district last year quadrupled its monthly base rate to $568.
    — Nina Burns, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Definition of flowing
Verb
  • For an oily scalp, more frequent washing may be necessary, or clarifying shampoos may be useful.
    — Sherri Gordon, Health, 13 July 2026
  • Minutes later royal sources counter-briefed, clarifying that Harry had not formally accepted the invite in time, and that the offer had since been withdrawn.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 8 July 2026
Definition of clarifying
Verb
  • China, Russia and the US are pouring more than $200 billion into such efforts, putting hundreds of satellites in orbit over the last half-decade and testing weapons on Earth and in space.
    — Gerry Doyle, Fortune, 13 July 2026
  • Tributes have been pouring in since the death of Sam Neill, beloved star of Jurassic Park, The Piano, Peaky Blinders, and more.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026
Definition of pouring
Verb
  • Yet Alpine’s new architecture has been developed entirely without building expensive prototypes and refining them with any track testing until this point.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 July 2026
  • This book shows the importance of persistence when refining a skill and remaining true to oneself.
    — Brooke Harris Garad, The Conversation, 14 July 2026
Definition of refining
Verb
  • Scientists are cracking the code for extracting useful molecules from substances designed to harm.
    — Steve Midway, STAT, 16 July 2026
  • Lionel Scaloni found a way to both protect a player who is physically years beyond his prime while also extracting the maximum influence from him.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of extracting

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Cite this Entry

“Distilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distilling. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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