1
as in demands
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority
every war inevitably exacts the greatest sacrifice possible from some of the nation's best and brightest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imposes
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty
vowed to exact a heavy fine from any hockey player engaging in such outrageous behavior on the ice
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of exacts
Shrinking lake ice exacts its price Depending on how much greenhouse gases warm the planet in the coming years, the average lake could lose up to 10 to 28 days of ice cover by the end of the century, says Sapna Sharma, a global change biologist at York University in Canada.
—
Berly McCoy, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
Colonialization exacts a heavy toll.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
But the Seahawks and their passionate fans will take it; this title represents Seattle's second Super Bowl triumph and exacts a measure of revenge for the heart-wrenching, last-second defeat in Super Bowl 49.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Could the Golden Globes be where Kathy exacts her revenge?
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Despite the toll Bug exacts, however, Coon is in exceptionally good humor—if with the blinking optimism of a new year in an unstable reality.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Afghanistan is, once again, under a Taliban regime that exacts even more extreme restrictions than those of Anjuman’s childhood.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
However, mythmaking exacts costs on our understanding of the past.
—Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
One game for the division (and the division’s one playoff spot)… And Seattle exacts revenge for 2019.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Berly McCoy, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
Colonialization exacts a heavy toll.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
But the Seahawks and their passionate fans will take it; this title represents Seattle's second Super Bowl triumph and exacts a measure of revenge for the heart-wrenching, last-second defeat in Super Bowl 49.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Could the Golden Globes be where Kathy exacts her revenge?
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Despite the toll Bug exacts, however, Coon is in exceptionally good humor—if with the blinking optimism of a new year in an unstable reality.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Afghanistan is, once again, under a Taliban regime that exacts even more extreme restrictions than those of Anjuman’s childhood.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
However, mythmaking exacts costs on our understanding of the past.
—Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
One game for the division (and the division’s one playoff spot)… And Seattle exacts revenge for 2019.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacts
Verb
-
Your 12th House of Spirituality calls softly as the Moon opposes auspicious Jupiter, encouraging you to find quiet time even as your 6th House of Work demands practical action.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2026
-
If the primetime entertainment schedule is now mostly a tonnage play, a means for older-skewing brands to reach an audience that aged out of the dollar demo 20 years ago, sports is a property that demands swift, decisive action.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Senate Bill 1296 imposes strict member voting rules to weaken those unions, threatening the bargaining rights for many workers at a time when Florida is increasingly unaffordable.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
More importantly, the law imposes a hard ceiling of 150 days.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The new law also requires some Medi-Cal enrollees (working-age adults without kids) to have their eligibility redetermined every six months instead of every year.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Miss Manners therefore requires turning one’s back — while also showing one’s profile and expressing thanks and apologies for stepping on toes and purse straps.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
It also gets compressed, which squeezes the air and puts even more pressure on it, which heats it up.—
Zoe Mintz,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
As the Iran conflict disrupts energy markets and squeezes jet-fuel supplies, there is a concern that airfares could rise in the weeks ahead.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There is a premonitory moment, too, in this book that wrings so much drama from so many backdoor meetings.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Austen wrings a great deal of humor from Lady Bertram’s dopey languor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacts. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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