What does extricate mean?
Word: Extricate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Extricate means to free someone or something from a difficult situation or from a place where they are caught.
Synonyms: free, release, disentangle
Antonyms: entangle
Word origin: Comes from Latin extricare.
How do you spell extricate?
Syllables: ex - tri - cate
Tricky part: The middle syllable has a plain i. Students who are thinking of extract often put an a there.
Watch out for: extracate, extrecate
Memory tip: You extricate someone from a tricky spot: the i of tricky is the vowel to keep in the middle.
Extricate in a sentence
Example 1: It took ten minutes to extricate the kitten from the folds of the old curtain.
Example 2: Priya could not extricate herself from the argument about whose turn it was to bat.
Example 3: The mechanic helped extricate our jeep from the sandy track near Jaisalmer.
Fun Fact
Its cousin inextricable describes things so tangled together that they cannot be pulled apart. You will often meet it in the phrase inextricably linked.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The forest rangers took an hour to exstricate the calf from the muddy riverbank, and the villagers applauded their patience.
a) exstricate and patience
b) only exstricate
c) applauded and patience
d) only villagers
Show answer
b) only exstricate. The letter x already carries the sound, so no s follows it; every other word in the sentence is correct.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
caxretiet
a) to make something seem bigger than it is
b) to pull a person or thing clear of a tight spot
c) to give a clear reason for something
d) to work out roughly how much something costs
Show answer
b) to pull a person or thing clear of a tight spot. The nine letters form a verb used for getting out of trouble or out of a trap.
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: e, i, a, e
a) _xtr_c_t_
b) r_n_v_t_
c) _xc_v_t_
d) _nd_c_t_
Show answer
a) _xtr_c_t_. Only this skeleton takes those four vowels in that order; the others need different vowels to become excavate, renovate and indicate.
Sound Check
In which word is 'x' pronounced differently?
a) expert
b) extra
c) exhaust
d) extricate
Show answer
c) exhaust. Exhaust has a soft gz sound in the middle, while the other three have a crisp ks.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. You would most need to extricate ___.
a) a kite sold in a toy shop
b) a kite drawn in a notebook
c) a kite tangled in the branches
d) a kite flying over the beach
Show answer
c) a kite tangled in the branches
2. In 'She tried to extricate herself from the long chat at the gate', what did she want to do?
a) speak up loudly
b) stay a little longer
c) get away politely
d) join in eagerly
Show answer
c) get away politely
