extricate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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extricatesimple
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extricatessimple
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have extricatedperfect
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has extricatedperfect
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am extricatingprogressive
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are extricatingprogressive
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is extricatingprogressive
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have been extricatingperfect progressive
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has been extricatingperfect progressive
Past
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extricatedsimple
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had extricatedperfect
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was extricatingprogressive
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were extricatingprogressive
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had been extricatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of extricate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin extricātus (past participle of extricāre ), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + tric(ae) “perplexities” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
If you need to be untangled, set free or otherwise released from something or someone, you need to be extricated. Extricate is a mixture of the prefix ex, which means "out" or "out of," and the Latin word tricae, which means "hindrances." So to extricate is to get out of what's hindering you. But it's not always so simple. You just try and extricate yourself from the loving death grip of a grandma who hasn't seen you in awhile!
Vocabulary lists containing extricate
Ender's Game
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "E"
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam" (1967)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But rather than extricate themselves by any means short of actually calling the police, they sink deeper and deeper into an all-consuming situation, their efforts to survive becoming increasingly extreme, never mind unlikely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Meanwhile, despite these woes, I was able to extricate some March Madness picks from the collective wisdom, or otherwise, of the major AI platforms.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026
Rocket responded with its “Bully Shield” program, which pays penalties and court fees for any brokers who want to extricate themselves from UWM External link’s contract.
From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026
In another instance, Johna Kay Ramirez, Squad member Jentzen Ramirez’s mother, tried to extricate her son from the group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
When Chuck Day sat down at the tables, Joe and Johnny both stood by, keeping a close eye on him, ready to extricate him from any trouble.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
“The disposal of the Russian hygiene entity extricates the company from a business that cast a shadow over its first-quarter results,” the analyst said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The lovestruck theme continues on Opalite, whose breezy chords and Abba-esque harmonies unfurl like a blossoming romance; and Wi$h Li$t, where Swift extricates herself from the Hollywood pack for a life of domestic bliss.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
He draws her toward him, she extricates herself and gives him a small wave, no hug in sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
It's the "get this" energy we want for J. Smith-Cameron's "Succession" diva Gerri once she extricates herself from Roman Roy's toxic orbit.
From Salon ● May 21, 2023
The blessed word "subjective" extricates him from all troubles.
From Our Stage and Its Critics By "E.F.S." of "The Westminster Gazette" by Spence, Edward Fordham
This ascent cannot be extricated from a geopolitical context that has seen Europe battling for relevance while other major powers jostle for supremacy in many areas, notably AI.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025
But it wasn’t until last year that GM extricated itself—for the most part—from India.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2025
Their bodies were extricated not by trained rescuers, but by locals who used rudimentary equipment.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025
Firefighters extricated passengers from the taxicab and provided medical aid.
From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2024
He had been tricked by it himself, but he had extricated himself without asking or receiving help from any man; let anyone else who might be so imposed upon do the same.—
From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner
After extricating himself from the deal, Rose went it alone until signing with McLaren.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
He lets the film pause and breathe, believably extricating Pansy from her pain for just a moment to give her a taste of what reprieve and lightness might look like.
From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2025
Zwirner would not disclose the financial terms of extricating the gallery from that project.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
The complexity of extricating the technology platforms that allow equity trading and then integrating them at another bank was another factor in Credit Suisse's decision to hold off, the people said.
From Reuters ● Mar. 8, 2023
From a parent’s point of view, it wasn’t a bad way to raise teenagers—knowing that a set of watchful adults was trailing them at all times, tasked with extricating them from any sort of emergency.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
