DISTILLS Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

distills

verb

variants also distils

Definition of distills

present tense third-person singular of distill

as in drips

to fall or let fall in or as if in drops the basement walls distill water every time it rains heavily

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in filters

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 distills This report distils the implications of the Hormuz closure and the wider Iran–US war for engineering leadership. — Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026 The mountain is incredibly hypnotic when catching the pearly hues of the first and last light of day and distils the unearthly beauty of the Himalayas into one gorgeous frame. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distills

Verb

Delicate glass vessels suspended by metal and connected by pipes gather condensation that drips into a pool of fetid water.

— Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Other new treatments that support guests on their personalised journeys include IV Therapy, with IV drips to enhance health and performance.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of drips

Verb

The ring filters the light to a precise frequency and feeds a portion of it back into the laser, helping produce a much steadier beam, the researchers said.

— Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
Dermatologists recommend using an SPF of at least 30, which ensures that the sunscreen filters out 97% of UVB rays—and not just when the sun is out.

— Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of filters

Verb

While oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have largely recovered, the cost to get that crude out has skyrocketed because of expensive and inefficient workarounds being used.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
While several leaders in my survey described stagnant information flows as an impediment to responding to overlapping disruptions, a few also reported tackling internal communications as a way to deal with polycrisis.

— Carol Geffner, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of flows

Verb

Rent the model, own the harness, own your context, and join the network that refines the outside world rather than digging the well that only deepens your own.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026
Rather than rigidly following the starting specifications, an effective engineer adapts and refines the scope as a deeper understanding of the system develops.

— Sufian Aldogom, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of refines

Verb

To begin her drawings, Trouvé pours bleach onto blank sheets of industrial colored paper.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
All Star point guard Kyrie Irving pours in 50 points, setting a new NBA record for points on debut with a new team as his Brooklyn Nets go down 127-126 at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pours

Verb

The proposal clarifies that the city's contribution covers the actual costs of maintaining, operating, and managing the stadium.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
But the list clarifies that restrictions don’t apply to licensing, partnerships, and contract research services involving these technologies.

— Ed Silverman, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of clarifies

Verb

This process initially extracts boron into a solution, which can then be concentrated for use in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
In lieu of sweet tea, a commercial sugar cane juicer extracts yellow-green juice.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of extracts

Browse Nearby Words

distilling

distills

distinct

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Distills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distills. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of distills

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

candidate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes