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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Example Sentences
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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
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The damage from our disintegrating democracy demands attention — and now.—
Elizabeth Keifer,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
-
Jessie Buckley is the resurrected Bride, who demands to be heard alongside her patchwork partner Frank (Christian Bale) and starts a revolution.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said after Miller’s plea hearing that Missouri’s self-defense law imposes a burden of proof that was too high for her office to secure a murder conviction.—
Ben Wheeler
May 30,
Kansas City Star,
30 May 2026
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The limits exist because the law imposes some responsibility on employers to ensure participants are sufficiently educated to make appropriate investment decisions.—
Bob Carlson,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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The program currently requires companies to submit a plan to the EPA outlining safety precautions, hazard assessments in the case of an accidental release and emergency response steps.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
This super athletic girl requires a yard with a high fence.—
Maryanne Dell,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Even Zach Cherry squeezes plenty from his part as the dealership’s manager, who grows loudly resentful when Nate seems more emotionally invested in his biological children than coworkers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 May 2026
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War squeezes African, Asian economies further The fallout of the Iran war deepened globally as countries struggled to contain the impact of rising fuel and commodity prices.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Similarly, the cast wrings some poetry out of the prosaic, often aphoristic dialogue.—
Robert Lloyd,
Houston Chronicle,
1 May 2026
-
Barkin, who was dating Levinson at the time of the film’s production, gamely strives to anchor the odd, histrionic film with her performance and wrings real pathos out of Lynn’s brittle and wounded demeanor.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacts. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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