extricate

[ ek-stri-keyt ]

verb (used with object)

, ex·tri·cat·ed, ex·tri·cat·ing.

1. to free or release from entanglement; disengage:

   to extricate someone from a dangerous situation.

   Synonyms: liberate, deliver, rescue, loose

2. to liberate (gas) from combination, as in a chemical process.

extricate

/ ˈɛkstrɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. to remove or free from complication, hindrance, or difficulty; disentangle

Usage

See extract

Derived Forms

• ˌextriˈcation, noun
• ˈextricable, adjective

Other Words From

• ex·tri·ca·tion [ek-stri-, key, -sh, uh, n], noun
• un·ex·tri·cat·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of extricate¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin extricātus (past participle of extricāre ), equivalent to ex- ex- ¹ + tric(ae) “perplexities” + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of extricate¹

C17: from Latin extrīcāre to disentangle, from ex- ¹+ trīcae trifles, vexations

Example Sentences

During a Zoom call from the sun-drenched porch of her Nashville home, she says her affiliation with the Big House Family was an open secret with castmates by the time she was able to extricate herself from it in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times

As more companies and product lines have shifted from one-time payments to recurring monthly fees, more consumers have bemoaned the hurdles they have to clear to extricate themselves from the subscriptions they no longer want.

From Los Angeles Times

But their car is boxed in and as gently as Tobias tries to extricate things from a tight space, he eventually just pulls out damaging three cars in the process.

From Salon

How might victims extricate themselves?

From Los Angeles Times

This is not a man trying to extricate himself from banishment or prove to himself that he’s still got game.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bail out
• detach
• differentiate
• disengage
• disentangle
• extract
• liberate
• rescue