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, 3 Mar. 2025
Austen is trying to repair a friendship, and Craig is trying to extricate himself from a business deal and attempt to do it on the cheap.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
The driver of the RV was trapped after the crash and was extricated by fire crews before being taken to a hospital in critical condition, officials with MedStar and the Fort Worth Fire Department said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Jan. 2025
Both other occupants were trapped inside their vehicle and had to be extricated by fire personnel.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for extricate
Cite this Entry
“Extricate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extricate. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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extricate
verb
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