1
as in demands
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority
every war inevitably exacts the greatest sacrifice possible from some of the nation's best and brightest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imposes
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty
vowed to exact a heavy fine from any hockey player engaging in such outrageous behavior on the ice
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exacts
Shrinking lake ice exacts its price Depending on how much greenhouse gases warm the planet in the coming years, the average lake could lose up to 10 to 28 days of ice cover by the end of the century, says Sapna Sharma, a global change biologist at York University in Canada.
—
Berly McCoy, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
Colonialization exacts a heavy toll.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
But the Seahawks and their passionate fans will take it; this title represents Seattle's second Super Bowl triumph and exacts a measure of revenge for the heart-wrenching, last-second defeat in Super Bowl 49.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Could the Golden Globes be where Kathy exacts her revenge?
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Despite the toll Bug exacts, however, Coon is in exceptionally good humor—if with the blinking optimism of a new year in an unstable reality.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Afghanistan is, once again, under a Taliban regime that exacts even more extreme restrictions than those of Anjuman’s childhood.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
However, mythmaking exacts costs on our understanding of the past.
—Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
One game for the division (and the division’s one playoff spot)… And Seattle exacts revenge for 2019.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Berly McCoy, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026
Colonialization exacts a heavy toll.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
But the Seahawks and their passionate fans will take it; this title represents Seattle's second Super Bowl triumph and exacts a measure of revenge for the heart-wrenching, last-second defeat in Super Bowl 49.
—Jim Reineking, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Could the Golden Globes be where Kathy exacts her revenge?
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Despite the toll Bug exacts, however, Coon is in exceptionally good humor—if with the blinking optimism of a new year in an unstable reality.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Afghanistan is, once again, under a Taliban regime that exacts even more extreme restrictions than those of Anjuman’s childhood.
—Literary Hub, 11 Dec. 2025
However, mythmaking exacts costs on our understanding of the past.
—Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
One game for the division (and the division’s one playoff spot)… And Seattle exacts revenge for 2019.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacts
Verb
-
Older skin demands a gentler touch and sometimes specific needle configurations.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
-
That structure demands what many clients in this population cannot reliably provide.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Plaintiffs' lawyers say the latest policy also imposes unprecedented rules dictating when reporters can offer anonymity to sources.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
However, this method imposes strict physical limits on size and power consumption, making further miniaturisation difficult.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Libra September 23 – October 22 Libra, balance requires substance behind the smile.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The challenge is that manure is already extremely nutrient-dense—often providing far more nitrogen and phosphorus than even a productive garden requires.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pencil-thin DQ Tower squeezes a full home into a very slender footprint, while the EONE XL takes a wider prefab approach to the same basic challenge.—
Stefan Ionescu
March 30,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There’s no end to the war in sight after one month as Iran squeezes the global economy.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her sometimes slacker, sometimes twee rock takes recurring major sevenths and wrings them for all their existential meaning.—
Ethan Beck,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
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There is a premonitory moment, too, in this book that wrings so much drama from so many backdoor meetings.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exacts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacts. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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