extricate
verb
Did you know?
Oh what a tangled web the English language weaves. Extricate, for example, may remind you of extract, another word applied when something is removed, but we can tease them apart. Although extricate and extract resemble each other, to extract something is to remove it using methods that often involve physical force, as in “the dentist had to extract my tooth.” Extricate, on the other hand, is more often used for the act of freeing someone or something from a difficult or tangled situation, which can, but need not, involve literal yanking or pulling. Extricating yourself from an awkward conversation, after all, can be as simple as announcing “I need to take this call!” and shuffling off with phone to ear. Extricate comes from the Latin verb extricare, which combines the prefix ex- (“out of”) with the noun tricae, meaning “trifles or perplexities.”
Examples of extricate in a Sentence
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2025
The driver of the Saturn SUV was extricated from the car by the Aurora Fire Department and taken to Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, according to the release, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
Officers extricated him from the vehicle and attempted life-saving measures before he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 30 May 2025
She was extricated from the SUV by fire officials, then taken to the hospital, authorities said in a May 18 news release.
—Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for extricate
Cite this Entry
“Extricate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extricate. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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extricate
verb
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