The meaning of EXCERPT is a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied : extract. How to use excerpt in a sentence.

EXCERPT definition: a passage or quotation taken or selected from a book, document, film, or the like; extract. See examples of excerpt used in a sentence.

EXCERPT definition: 1. a short part taken from a speech, book, film, etc.: 2. to take a small part from a speech….

Definition of excerpt noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Excerpt sounds a lot like "except" with an added "r," and it came into English in the 16th century from a Latin word meaning "plucked out." When the word is used as a verb, excerpt means to take a portion …

What is an excerpt in writing? An excerpt is a quoted fragment from a book, novel, poem, short story, article, speech, or other literary work that is used to give the reader a specific example...

3 days ago · Noun excerpt (plural excerpts) A clip, snippet, passage or extract from a larger work such as a news article, a film, or a literary composition.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025 ex•cerpt /ˈɛksɜrpt/ n. [countable] a passage or quotation taken or selected from a book, document, film, or the like; extract: …

She read an excerpt from the play. I've read only excerpts of/from Moby-Dick, never the whole book. This article was excerpted from the New York Times. Portions of her novel were excerpted in a …

Excerpt definition: A passage or segment taken from a longer work, such as a literary or musical composition, a document, or a film.