variants
or less commonly distil
distilled; distilling
1
: to let fall, exude, or precipitate (see precipitate entry 1 sense 3b) in drops or in a wet mist
some caves are dry, others distill water from invisible rifts—
Norman Douglas
Norman Douglas2
a
: to purify or transform (a liquid) by successive evaporation and condensation : to subject to or transform by distillation
distill molasses into rum
b
: to obtain by or as if by distillation
distill whiskey
able to distill humor from personal loss
c
: to extract the essence of : concentrate
distill the experience into a poem
1
a
: to fall or materialize in drops or in a fine moisture
b
: to appear slowly or in small quantities at a time
2
a
: to undergo distillation
b
: to perform distillation
Examples of distill in a Sentence
They distill the whiskey from malted barley.
He has perfectly distilled the meaning of the holiday into a poem.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet how to distill his disgust and concern in a single image?
—Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 29 June 2024
The Bronfman dynasty understood how to distill alcohol, but not entertainment.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 13 June 2024
These confidences can feel designed to inspire headlines, as if the star worked with a focus group to determine the right morsel of truth and the perfect way to distill it.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024
Chris Stapleton has been able to distill some smooth country blues music over the years.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distill 
Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 29 June 2024
The Bronfman dynasty understood how to distill alcohol, but not entertainment.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 13 June 2024
These confidences can feel designed to inspire headlines, as if the star worked with a focus group to determine the right morsel of truth and the perfect way to distill it.
—Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024
Chris Stapleton has been able to distill some smooth country blues music over the years.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for distill
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'distill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near distill
Cite this Entry
“Distill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distill. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
distill
verb
dis·till
variants
also distil
distilled; distilling
: to obtain or purify by distillation
Medical Definition
distill
verb
dis·till
variants
also distil
distilled; distilling
1
: to subject to or transform by distillation
2
: to obtain by or as if by distillation
3
: to obtain an extract from (as a plant) by infusion and distillation
making medicines by distilling herbs
1
: to undergo distillation
2
: to condense or drop from a still after distillation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share