Extract forms a kind of mirror image of abstract: See examples of extract used in a sentence. To extract is to draw forth something as by pulling, importuning, or the like:
To extract a confession by torture. Feb 3, 2026noun extract (plural extracts) something that is extracted or drawn out. An extract from a book or piece of writing is a small part of it that is printed or published separately.
When you extract something, you remove it from a larger whole. You can extract a passage from a book, or a liquid essence from a vanilla bean—vanilla extract. Extract something (from something) to remove or obtain a substance from something, for example by using an industrial or a chemical process.
The egyptians used a primitive form of distillation to extract.
