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
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2025
The Engine 5 team arrived and found one vehicle off the roadway with heavy damage and one
occupant needing to be extricated, Meadows said in an email Sunday.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Jan. 2025
The two injured occupants had to be extricated from their vehicle, Metro Fire stated.
—Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 3 Jan. 2025
Worker falls several stories at Obama Presidential Center site: authorities
A worker at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park fell several stories down a ventilation duct and had to be extricated early Wednesday afternoon, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
—Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
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 21 Feb. 2025.
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extricate
verb
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