verb

extricate

EHKS-trih-kayt

verb

To free someone or something from a difficult, entangled, or awkward situation.

"It took firefighters over an hour to extricate the driver from the wreckage."

"She tried to extricate herself from the conversation politely."

How to Use Extricate

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo get yourself or someone else out of a tricky, tangled, or stuck situation.

Easily confused with

intricate →

Common pairings

extricate oneself extricate from the wreckage

extricated past tense, extricates singular

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Can you complete this real example?

It took firefighters over an hour to _____ the driver from the wreckage.

From Latin extrīcāre, related to "intricate" — the opposite process, essentially "un-tangling."

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