excerpt

1 of 2

noun

: a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied : extract
excerpted; excerpting; excerpts

transitive verb

1
: to select (a passage) for quoting : extract
2
: to take or publish extracts from (something, such as a book)
excerptor noun
or excerpter
excerption
ek-ˈsərp-shən How to pronounce excerpt (audio)
eg-ˈzərp-
noun

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
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday night, Lemon spoke about his exchange with Musk and shared video excerpts from the 90 minute sit-down, in which Lemon asked Musk questions on an array of topics. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Frank H. McCourt Jr., Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 In an exclusive excerpt from his new memoir 'A Very Private School,' Spencer opens up about enduring abuse as a young boy at the elite Maidwell Hall In his new memoir, A Very Private School, Charles Spencer shares a harrowing account of his brutal boarding school experience as a young boy. Erin Hill, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 Company Town How this CBS journalist and organ-donating mom finds purpose in military vet reporting May 4, 2022 The Fox News reports included family photographs of Chen, excerpts from her immigration forms and a portion of an FBI memorandum. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 This excerpt from Breen’s book—Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science—recounts an interesting period in the history of psychedelics and leaves you wanting to read more. Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 28 Feb. 2024 An excerpt from the article reads; To be effective against this rebel group, the marines needed to adapt. Eric Tegler, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Read on for an excerpt of PEOPLE’s cover story about his death. People Staff, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 In this exclusive excerpt from ‘Freaks Came Out to Write,’ Romano recounts the Voice’s pioneering coverage of a musical genre coming out of the Bronx in the early ’80s and the paper’s irascible and brilliant music critic Robert Christgau, who helped shape music writing for a generation. Tricia Romano, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
These are quotes excerpted from their conversation. Staff and Wire Reports, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024 In honor of his passing, the Beverly Hills 90210 Show excerpted Gail’s guest appearance on the podcast. Vulture, 21 Jan. 2024 In the book, published Tuesday and originally excerpted in PEOPLE, Scobie writes that Kate and Meghan had little in common, but the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William didn't help in the early days of their relationship. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023 In a passage excerpted for a press release, Jay-Z spoke about his expansion from music into social justice issues. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 15 Nov. 2023 The book, which was originally excerpted in PEOPLE, caused controversy after it was revealed that the Dutch translation of the book names the royals involved in a conversation that included a controversial comment speculating about the skin color of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's child. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023 In this passage from Endgame — out Nov. 28 and exclusively excerpted in this week’s PEOPLE — author Omid Scobie offers an intimate look at Harry’s journey to the Queen’s deathbed last year. Michelle Tauber, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023 In a chapter from Alan Sepinwall’s upcoming oral history of the show (excerpted in Vanity Fair) the cast, crew, production, and Television Without Pity commentariat all discuss the reasons Mischa Barton was essentially fired from The O.C. — and why, in hindsight, those reasons sucked. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2023 By sharing stories like Vance’s about his father — excerpted below — the authors hope to provide a roadmap toward owning trauma to those who traditionally aren't encouraged to do so. Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 4 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'excerpt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Latin excerptus, past participle of excerpere, from ex- + carpere to gather, pluck — more at harvest

First Known Use

Noun

1627, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of excerpt was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near excerpt

Cite this Entry

“Excerpt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excerpt. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

excerpt

1 of 2 verb
ex·​cerpt ek-ˈsərpt How to pronounce excerpt (audio) eg-ˈzərpt How to pronounce excerpt (audio)
ˈek-ˌsərpt,
ˈeg-ˌzərpt
1
: to select for quoting
2
: to take excerpts from

excerpt

2 of 2 noun
: a part taken from a longer work
read an excerpt from the play

More from Merriam-Webster on excerpt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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