Meaning & use

excerpt

noun·Academic

A short passage taken from a book, film, speech, or piece of music.

See it in a sentence

The teacher read an excerpt from the novel before assigning the full chapter.

Critics quoted a brief excerpt from the film's most controversial scene.

A note on using this word

Excerpt can also be a verb meaning to take a short section from a longer work.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. verb

To take a short passage or section from a longer piece of writing or recording.

The magazine excerpted three chapters from the author's upcoming memoir.

Make it your own

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