variants
or less commonly distil
distilled; distilling
1
: to let fall, exude, or precipitate (see precipitate entry 1 sense 3b) in drops or in a wet mist
some caves are dry, others distill water from invisible rifts—
Norman Douglas
Norman Douglas2
a
: to purify or transform (a liquid) by successive evaporation and condensation : to subject to or transform by distillation
distill molasses into rum
b
: to obtain by or as if by distillation
distill whiskey
able to distill humor from personal loss
c
: to extract the essence of : concentrate
distill the experience into a poem
1
a
: to fall or materialize in drops or in a fine moisture
b
: to appear slowly or in small quantities at a time
2
a
: to undergo distillation
b
: to perform distillation
Examples of distill in a Sentence
They distill the whiskey from malted barley.
He has perfectly distilled the meaning of the holiday into a poem.
Recent Examples on the Web
Trying to distill or infuse water will result in a less-intense or muted product.
—Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appétit, 9 Jan. 2025
Don’t be surprised if brands take advantage of this and snap up a bunch of cheap agave to distill, even with sales in a slump.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2025
Faye has an unusual ability to distill complicated, confusing dynamics into their essential components, offering straightforward advice that is never overly simple.
—Vogue, 26 Dec. 2024
While some Arizona mines use an electrolytic chemical process to distill copper and some ship to a smelter in Miami-Globe, others ship to Mexico or beyond.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distill 
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Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appétit, 9 Jan. 2025
Don’t be surprised if brands take advantage of this and snap up a bunch of cheap agave to distill, even with sales in a slump.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 Jan. 2025
Faye has an unusual ability to distill complicated, confusing dynamics into their essential components, offering straightforward advice that is never overly simple.
—Vogue, 26 Dec. 2024
While some Arizona mines use an electrolytic chemical process to distill copper and some ship to a smelter in Miami-Globe, others ship to Mexico or beyond.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distill
Dictionary Entries Near distill
Cite this Entry
“Distill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distill. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distill
verb
dis·till
variants
also distil
distilled; distilling
: to obtain or purify by distillation
Medical Definition
distill
verb
dis·till
variants
also distil
distilled; distilling
1
: to subject to or transform by distillation
2
: to obtain by or as if by distillation
3
: to obtain an extract from (as a plant) by infusion and distillation
making medicines by distilling herbs
1
: to undergo distillation
2
: to condense or drop from a still after distillation
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