MEANING
1. To separate a liquid by heating and condensing vapor, or extract a concentrated essence.
2. To extract the essential meaning, qualities, or substance from something complex.
Use it for
Use for liquid separation or a compressed, essential account.Describe literal distillation or the extraction of an essential idea.
Words that belong together
- distill a liquid
- distill an extract
- distill rose water
- distill an argument
- distill the essence
- distill experience
On the page
The apothecary distilled rose water over a low flame.
She distilled years of resentment into one sentence.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- distill
- Past tense
- distilled
- Past participle
- distilled
- Present participle
- distilling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- distill
- Present continuous
- am/is/are distilling
- Present perfect
- have/has distilled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been distilling
- Past
- distilled
- Past continuous
- was/were distilling
- Past perfect
- had distilled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been distilling
- Future
- will distill
- Future continuous
- will be distilling
- Future perfect
- will have distilled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been distilling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
The figurative sense means reduce complex material to its essentials; it does not mean simply summarize every detail. Sense 2: Figurative usage commonly takes ideas, experience, or qualities as its object.
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