excerpt
8 synonyms for excerpt, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A short passage taken from a longer book, film, speech or piece of music and presented on its own.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
A short passage taken from a longer book, film, speech or piece of music and presented on its own.
“The magazine printed an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir.”
How to use excerpt
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
an excerpt from
brief excerpt
excerpts of the recording
excerpted in
Etymology
From Latin excerptum, the past participle of excerpere ('to pluck out'), from ex ('out') plus carpere ('to pluck').
Full origin of excerpt →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an excerpt and a quote?
A quote reproduces someone's exact words, often a sentence or two, usually to support a point. An excerpt is a continuous passage lifted from a longer work and presented for its own sake, such as a chapter printed in a newspaper. Every excerpt is a form of quotation, but not every quotation is an excerpt.
How is 'excerpt' pronounced?
As a noun the stress falls on the first syllable, EK-surpt. As a verb it usually shifts to the second, ek-SURPT, though many speakers use the first-syllable stress for both.
Can you publish an excerpt without permission?
Not automatically. Short quotations for review, criticism or study may fall under fair use or fair dealing, but a substantial excerpt of a copyrighted work normally needs the rights holder's permission. The safe course is to ask the publisher.
