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.”
Synonyms
Examples of extricate in a Sentence
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 16 Oct. 2024
Determined to extricate his family from their clutches, Eddie tries to play the gangsters at their own game.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2024
Dan Hampton eventually extricated himself from a throng of autograph and photo seekers under a tent and made his way onto the stage with the other members of The Chicago Six, the band McMichael played in with Hampton and Wilson.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2024
One occupant was required to be extricated from the wreckage and sustained critical injuries.
—Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extricate 
Dictionary Entries Near extricate
Cite this Entry
“Extricate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extricate. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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extricate
verb
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