extract

A short part of a book, document, or recording presented separately from the whole.

• Read this extract from the novel.
• The programme played extracts from several interviews.
• Which chapter does this extract come from?

How to use it: extract from something (We read an extract from her diary.)

Similar words: excerpt, passage, quotation

Common phrases: extract from something, short extract, read an extract

A substance taken out of a plant or another material, often for use in food or medicine.

• The cream contains a plant extract.
• These extracts give the soap its fresh smell.
• They tested an extract from the leaves.

How to use it: extract from something (This cream contains an extract from rose petals.)

Common phrases: plant extract, herbal extract, natural extract

A liquid containing flavor or other useful substances taken from a plant or another material.

• Add a little vanilla extract.
• This extract gives the cake an almond flavor.
• Keep the bottle of extract away from sunlight.

Similar words: essence

Common phrases: vanilla extract, almond extract, add some extract

To take something out of a larger thing, including useful information from a text or collection.

• We can extract useful information from this report.
• She extracted the dates from each letter.
• Can you extract the files from this folder?

How to use it: extract something from something (The program extracts names from the records.)

Similar words: take out, remove, draw out

Common phrases: extract information, extract data, extract something from something

To remove something fixed in place by pulling it out.

• The dentist will extract the tooth.
• They extracted the bullet from his shoulder.
• She carefully extracted a thorn from her foot.

How to use it: extract something from something (The doctor extracted a splinter from my hand.)

Similar words: pull out, remove

Common phrases: extract a tooth, extract a splinter, extract a bullet

To obtain a substance from a material by using a physical or chemical process.

• They extract juice from fresh fruit.
• The laboratory extracted a chemical from the leaves.
• Heat helps us extract the oil more quickly.

How to use it: extract something from something (They extract oil from the seeds.)

Similar words: draw out, separate

Common phrases: extract oil, extract juice, extract something from something