as in pulling
to draw out by force or with effort
extracted a splinter from my hand
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Recent Examples of extracting
Microbes could be the future space miners, helping humans survive on long-term missions by extracting mineral resources from extraterrestrial rocks.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
Opening up new mining operations would be in keeping with the founding directive of the Forest Service, which mandates the balance of protecting resources and extracting them.
—Lauren Steele, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
Large hospital systems receive multiple subsidies from government programs, and their focus has shifted not to providing patient care, but to extracting as many dollars from these subsidies as possible.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
And here Kgasi was, pulling bone after bone out of the soft rock, ultimately extracting the entire skeleton and a chunk of the skull.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Strip off the hard outer skin and chew the woody pith, extracting its sweetness before spitting it out.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Clough had a knack of reviving the fortunes of waifs and strays; of extracting every ounce of talent from players.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The researchers found that dolphins were consistently capable of extracting identity from the whistle structure, even when other voice cues were removed.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Feb. 2026
Opening up new mining operations would be in keeping with the founding directive of the Forest Service, which mandates the balance of protecting resources and extracting them.
—Lauren Steele, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
Large hospital systems receive multiple subsidies from government programs, and their focus has shifted not to providing patient care, but to extracting as many dollars from these subsidies as possible.
—Anthony Digiorgio, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
And here Kgasi was, pulling bone after bone out of the soft rock, ultimately extracting the entire skeleton and a chunk of the skull.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Strip off the hard outer skin and chew the woody pith, extracting its sweetness before spitting it out.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Clough had a knack of reviving the fortunes of waifs and strays; of extracting every ounce of talent from players.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The researchers found that dolphins were consistently capable of extracting identity from the whistle structure, even when other voice cues were removed.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extracting
Verb
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The film is incredibly, even magnificently, stylish, but beyond its initial presentation, there just isn’t very much guiding the story in any novel or exciting ways — beyond, perhaps, thematic echoes of how the less prim-and-proper tech bros of today might be pulling a fast one too.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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Heimuli rebounded from the loss to Kouokam to beat Jessica Pyatt of El Paso Pebble Hills in a consolation semifinal, pulling Pyatt down with 15 seconds left in the second period and getting a pint five seconds later.—
Rick Kretzschmar,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But pull her away from the TV cameras, photographers and the prying eyes of the world, and her sarcastic-bordering-on-vulgar sense of humor bubbles to the surface.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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But pull her away from the TV cameras, photographers and the prying eyes of the world, and her sarcastic-bordering-on-vulgar sense of humor bubbles to the surface.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
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The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Broten remembers Pavelich plucking his guitar and singing Neil Young songs on bus rides.—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
10 Feb. 2026
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According to its website, Butcher & Singer is an homage to the glitz and class of 1940s Hollywood, reaching into the past, plucking the best and brightest aspects of a bygone era.—
Courtney Cherry,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extracting. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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