Meaning & use
extra
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
More than the usual or needed amount; added on top of what already exists.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: an extra chair; it can also follow a verb: the delivery is extra.
Patterns
- extra something
- at no extra cost
Please bring an extra blanket in case the night turns cold.
The hotel charges nothing extra for breakfast.
We need extra time to finish the report.
adverbnot comparableinformal
To a higher degree than normal; especially or unusually.
Grammar: Goes before an adjective or adverb: extra careful, extra large.
Patterns
- extra + adjective
Drive extra slowly on the icy bridge.
She made the coffee extra strong this morning.
Pack the glasses extra carefully.
nouncountable
Something added that costs more or is not essential, or a person hired to appear in the background of a film scene.
Grammar: Plural extras: the extras on a car; the extras in a crowd scene.
Patterns
- optional extras
- an extra in something
Leather seats are an extra on this model.
He worked as an extra in a period drama and stood behind the lead actors.
The bill was higher than expected because of all the extras.
adjectiveafter a verbslang
Showing more drama, effort or attention-seeking than a situation calls for.
Grammar: Used after be, as in he is so extra; not placed before a noun in this sense.
Patterns
- be so extra
Hiring a marching band for a birthday text? That is extra.
My cousin gets extra whenever there is an audience.
Don't be extra; a simple thank-you card is enough.
Word forms
| plural (noun) | extras |
|---|
Common combinations
- extra charge
- There is an extra charge for printing in color.
- extra mile
- The nurse went the extra mile to make the patient comfortable.
- extra time
- The match went into extra time after a late equalizer.
- extra large
- He ordered an extra large pizza for the team.
- optional extra
- A sunroof is an optional extra on this car.
Synonyms and how they differ
- additional
- Additional is more formal and neutral, while extra often suggests something beyond the normal or necessary amount.
- spare
- Spare means kept in reserve and not currently in use, whereas extra simply means more than before.
- supplementary
- Supplementary is formal and implies something that completes or improves existing material, such as a supplementary reading list.
- surplus
- Surplus means left over beyond what is needed, so it suggests waste or excess in a way extra does not.
Opposites
Word family
- extras noun
- added items or background actors
- extra-large adjective
- bigger than a standard large size
- extraordinary adjective
- very unusual or remarkable
- extracurricular adjective
- done outside the normal school timetable
Commonly confused: extra or extra-? extra or excess?
extra vs extra-
The prefix extra- as in extraterrestrial means outside or beyond; the free word extra means additional.
extra vs excess
Excess means too much of something and is usually negative, while extra can be neutral or welcome.
Practice
The hotel offers breakfast, but it costs ___ if you want it delivered to your room.
Choose one answer.
Extra works as an adjective after the verb costs, meaning more money on top. Extras is a noun plural and extraly is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “extra”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.