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, 20 Feb. 2025
Three people were trapped inside one of the vehicles before they were extricated out, per CBS Miami.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 10 Feb. 2025
There was never going to be an easy way to extricate ourselves from 20 years of war.
—Lulu Garcia-Navarro, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
One person was dead at the scene and still needed to be extricated from the plane at 6 p.m. local time, said Scottsdale Fire Capt. Dave Folio.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 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 3 Mar. 2025.
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extricate
verb
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