excerpt

excerpt — noun

1. a segment lifted from a longer work — such as a book, a speech, a film, or a mus

1.nounB2
Definition

a segment lifted from a longer work — such as a book, a speech, a film, or a musical recording — and shown or read on its own.

Example

Amihan read an excerpt from her favourite novel during the school assembly.

excerpt from + possessive noun

The magazine published a long excerpt from the mayor's speech about the new park.

Common collocations
  • read an excerpt
  • publish an excerpt
  • short excerpt
  • long excerpt
  • excerpt from a book
  • excerpt of a song
Synonyms
  • extract

    very similar in meaning; extract is slightly more formal and common in academic contexts

  • passage

    a broader term that can refer to any section of a text, not necessarily a short one taken from a longer work

  • quotation

    specifically a word-for-word repetition, often of a spoken statement or written phrase

Grammar Patterns

excerpt from + source

Usage Note

An excerpt always refers to a small portion of a longer original. The preposition from is more common than of when naming the source work.

Common Mistakes

I read an excerpt of the whole book for my report.
I read an excerpt from the book for my report.
An excerpt is only a small part, not the entire work.

excerpt — verb

Word family

  • excerpted
    adjectiveC1
  • excerpting
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all refer to a piece taken from a larger work, but differ in formality, scope, and typical use. Extract is the closest synonym to excerpt and is common in academic and technical writing (e.g., 'an extract from the patient's medical record'). Passage is a broader, neutral term for any section of a text, not necessarily short or taken out for separate publication — it simply marks a continuous portion. Quotation (or quote) emphasises reproducing someone's exact words, often spoken, and is a more everyday word than excerpt. Snippet is informal and suggests something very short or incomplete, often used for digital content ('a snippet of code', 'a snippet of conversation'). Choose excerpt when you want a precise, slightly formal term for a deliberately selected short piece from a written, spoken, or recorded work.

extract ↗passage ↗quotation ↗snippet

Common collocations

Nouns

  • excerpt from a book
  • excerpt of a song
  • excerpt from a speech
  • excerpt from an article
  • excerpt from a film

Adverbs

  • carefully excerpted
  • widely excerpted
  • briefly excerpted

Phrases

  • read an excerpt
  • publish an excerpt
  • include an excerpt

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Excerpt comes from Latin excerptus, the past participle of excerpere, meaning 'to pick out'. The Latin verb is formed from ex- ('out') and carpere ('to pluck, gather, or pick'). The idea of 'picking out' a passage from a longer work has stayed with the word since it entered English in the 16th century.