as in pulling
to draw out by force or with effort
extracted a splinter from my hand
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Recent Examples of extracting
Opening up new mining operations would be in keeping with the founding directive of the Forest Service, which mandates the balance of protecting resources and extracting them.
—
Lauren Steele, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
And here Kgasi was, pulling bone after bone out of the soft rock, ultimately extracting the entire skeleton and a chunk of the skull.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Strip off the hard outer skin and chew the woody pith, extracting its sweetness before spitting it out.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Clough had a knack of reviving the fortunes of waifs and strays; of extracting every ounce of talent from players.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The open question is whether anyone is willing to stop extracting long enough to start cultivating.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Economic challenges Trump said at Davos that his push for Greenland is not about extracting rare earths.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
But extracting them and refining them is the difficult part.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Lauren Steele, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2026
Their window of opportunity only lasted the weekend — if the scientists didn’t secure the instruments by Monday, an approaching front of bad weather would prevent helicopters from extracting them, effectively stranding them for an indeterminate period of time.
—Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4, Futurism, 4 Feb. 2026
And here Kgasi was, pulling bone after bone out of the soft rock, ultimately extracting the entire skeleton and a chunk of the skull.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 4 Feb. 2026
Strip off the hard outer skin and chew the woody pith, extracting its sweetness before spitting it out.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Clough had a knack of reviving the fortunes of waifs and strays; of extracting every ounce of talent from players.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The open question is whether anyone is willing to stop extracting long enough to start cultivating.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Economic challenges Trump said at Davos that his push for Greenland is not about extracting rare earths.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
But extracting them and refining them is the difficult part.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extracting
Verb
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After that setback, the Seahawks lost their edge to stay ahead of a league designed to keep pulling teams toward the middle.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Yet the final also required Vonn to push her knee further than in either of her two training runs, when she could be seen pulling back around some turns so as not to exert too much strain before the main event.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Guesthouse Under the Reed Roof answers this with a central concrete block that contains the bathroom, positioning it safely away from prying eyes.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
10 Feb. 2026
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Video showed customs officers prying open a crate to find the rock, its surface grey and rugged.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hotel video footage showed the pair forcing entry into the hotel by yanking on a lobby door and breaking the lock.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
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The yellow bucket of a heavy construction excavator crashed down onto the roof of the vacant home at Parade Park, yanking it into a heap of split plaster and lumber.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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According to its website, Butcher & Singer is an homage to the glitz and class of 1940s Hollywood, reaching into the past, plucking the best and brightest aspects of a bygone era.—
Courtney Cherry,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
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The Bills scooped up a second Broncos assistant in as many days, plucking Jim Leonhard to lead Joe Brady’s defense.—
Torrey Hart,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extracting. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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