ex·cerpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt 
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
: a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied : extract
ex·cerpt
ek-ˈsərpt
eg-ˈzərpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
eg-ˈzərpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
excerpted; excerpting; excerpts
1
: to select (a passage) for quoting : extract
2
: to take or publish extracts from (something, such as a book)
excerptor
noun
or excerpter
Synonyms
Examples of excerpt in a Sentence
Noun
Among the excerpts and Twitter feeds and author interviews … there was the actor Will Smith praising The Alchemist as one of his favorite books.
—
Gregory Cowles, New York Times Book Review, 18 Oct. 2009
When his [Thomas Jefferson's] wife Martha died in 1782, he wrapped a lock of her hair with a scrap of paper containing an excerpt from the couple's favorite novel, Laurence Sterne's comic masterpiece, Tristram Shandy, and stashed the token in his desk.
—Walter Kim, Time, 5 July 2004
The exemplary figure here is Norman Mailer, whose 1959 Advertisements for Myself is the height of writerly chutzpah. The book, comprising excerpts from his journalism and fiction, descriptions of the agonies he went through to produce them and obsessive reviews of his reviewers, is so shameless it's admirable.
—Judith Shulevitz, New York Times Book Review, 17 June 2001
… I also keep a pad by the side of my bed for writing down great thoughts at night without having to turn on the light. In the morning, these great thoughts sound like excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls.
—Bill Cosby, Time Flies, (1987) 1988
She read an excerpt from the play.
I've read only excerpts of Moby-Dick, never the whole book.
Verb
The fiction that the magazine does publish is too often excerpted from novels or imminently forthcoming collections, making the magazine seem more a flack for publishers than a site of editorial strength and vision.
—Vince Passaro, Harper's, August 1999
How quickly does the Net move? Last Friday journalist Michael Colton posted an elaborate Web parody of the forthcoming magazine Talk, which is owned by Miramax and helmed by former New Yorker editor Tina Brown. Within hours, the site's URL had ricocheted about in countless e-mails, and the Drudge Report had excerpted the text.
—Newsweek, 26 July 1999
Gregory Cowles, New York Times Book Review, 18 Oct. 2009
When his [Thomas Jefferson's] wife Martha died in 1782, he wrapped a lock of her hair with a scrap of paper containing an excerpt from the couple's favorite novel, Laurence Sterne's comic masterpiece, Tristram Shandy, and stashed the token in his desk.
—Walter Kim, Time, 5 July 2004
The exemplary figure here is Norman Mailer, whose 1959 Advertisements for Myself is the height of writerly chutzpah. The book, comprising excerpts from his journalism and fiction, descriptions of the agonies he went through to produce them and obsessive reviews of his reviewers, is so shameless it's admirable.
—Judith Shulevitz, New York Times Book Review, 17 June 2001
… I also keep a pad by the side of my bed for writing down great thoughts at night without having to turn on the light. In the morning, these great thoughts sound like excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls.
—Bill Cosby, Time Flies, (1987) 1988
She read an excerpt from the play.
I've read only excerpts of Moby-Dick, never the whole book.
Verb
The fiction that the magazine does publish is too often excerpted from novels or imminently forthcoming collections, making the magazine seem more a flack for publishers than a site of editorial strength and vision.
—Vince Passaro, Harper's, August 1999
How quickly does the Net move? Last Friday journalist Michael Colton posted an elaborate Web parody of the forthcoming magazine Talk, which is owned by Miramax and helmed by former New Yorker editor Tina Brown. Within hours, the site's URL had ricocheted about in countless e-mails, and the Drudge Report had excerpted the text.
—Newsweek, 26 July 1999
Recent Examples on the Web
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
This story was an excerpt from Axios Closer, a recap on the day's biggest business stories.
—Pete Gannon, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
Alison Durkee, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Allan has rarely spoken about her time with the late Princess of Wales, and reflects in the new book Dancing With Diana: A Memoir, published Sept. 10 and exclusively excerpted in PEOPLE, about the safe haven the lessons were for her.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for excerpt 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Noun
The Inside Story, author Robert Hardman writes that the King instructed the Keeper of the Privy Purse to remove Prince Andrew's £1 million annual personal allowance and to stop paying for his personal security, per an excerpt covered by The Daily Mail.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
This story was an excerpt from Axios Closer, a recap on the day's biggest business stories.
—Pete Gannon, Axios, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
What To Watch For More evidence could be released in the coming weeks, as an appendix to Smith’s filing—which would contain more complete transcripts and other evidence that’s only excerpted in this document—still remains under seal.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Allan has rarely spoken about her time with the late Princess of Wales, and reflects in the new book Dancing With Diana: A Memoir, published Sept. 10 and exclusively excerpted in PEOPLE, about the safe haven the lessons were for her.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for excerpt
Dictionary Entries Near excerpt
Cite this Entry
“Excerpt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excerpt. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
excerpt
2 of 2 noun
ex·cerpt
ˈek-ˌsərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
: a part taken from a longer work
read an excerpt from the play
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share