extricate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
extricates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
extricated,
past participle, past
-
extricating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
extricatesimple
-
extricatessimple
-
have extricatedperfect
-
has extricatedperfect
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am extricatingprogressive
-
are extricatingprogressive
-
is extricatingprogressive
-
have been extricatingperfect progressive
-
has been extricatingperfect progressive
Past
-
extricatedsimple
-
had extricatedperfect
-
was extricatingprogressive
-
were extricatingprogressive
-
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:
Ganesh Aryaal, the chief district officer, told BBC Nepali that relatives will still be able to extricate the remains of their loved ones, once they are identified through DNA testing.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
But before Sorsby ever takes a snap for the Red Raiders, he’s aiming to extricate himself from the situation altogether: by entering the supplemental draft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 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
He managed to extricate himself, then fell into another, deeper, crevasse.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
“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
Jeeves extricates Bertie from every one of these entanglements, and thankfully so, because every fiancée begins their relationship with the determination to toss Jeeves out on his ear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
McManus throws ladders, extricates people from car crashes, breaks down doors and conducts search-and-rescue operations.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
From the southern boundary of the lake to the place where the Hawash finally extricates itself from the mountainous ranges, the distance is about five days’ journey, or from sixty to seventy miles.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 344, June, 1844 by Various
On the screen, in a series of daredevil adventures, the actor had extricated himself from a hundred impossible predicaments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
The crews eventually extricated Toscano, who was conscious and talkative as she was pulled out and rushed to a hospital to treat her injuries, her father said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hernan Gil survived nearly eight days trapped beneath the ruins of a partially collapsed building in Venezuela before being extricated Thursday in a dramatic operation involving rescuers from seven countries.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Their bodies were extricated not by trained rescuers, but by locals who used rudimentary equipment.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025
At last, he extricated himself from Romilda Vane, who was hinting heavily that she would like to go to Slughorn’s Christmas party with him.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
One video shows him under the rubble, carefully extricating the body of an infant from around the body of another small child, who is alive.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025
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
The answer, according to the management team tasked with extricating the company from its financial mire, is that it was forced on the company by self-interested owners.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2024
Zwirner would not disclose the financial terms of extricating the gallery from that project.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
“How well I know the pain of a broken heart,” the widow murmured, extricating her hands from the admiral’s.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
