distill

verb

dis·​till di-ˈstil 

variants or less commonly distil

distilled; distilling

transitive verb

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

2

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

intransitive verb

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

Synonyms

• dribble
• drip
• drop
• trickle

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

But Iyer doesn’t distill the lessons of silence into a fashionable set of lifestyle tips. —Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Jan. 2025

To distill Sullivan: America must quickly perfect a technology that many believe will be smarter and more capable than humans. —Axios, 18 Jan. 2025

Flagship publications like The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) (developed in collaboration with partners: IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO) distill complex data into actionable analysis, while FAOSTAT provides open access to an unparalleled global repository of agricultural data. —Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024

Trying to distill or infuse water will result in a less-intense or muted product. —Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appétit, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English distillen, from Anglo-French distiller, from Late Latin distillare, alteration of Latin destillare, from de- + stillare to drip, from stilla drop

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

distill

verb

dis·​till

variants also distil

dis-ˈtil 

distilled; distilling

: to obtain or purify by distillation

Medical Definition

distill

verb

dis·​till

variants also distil

dis-ˈtil 

distilled; distilling

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1

: to undergo distillation

2

: to condense or drop from a still after distillation