English Reference
noun

excerpt

n.
US /ˈɛksɝpt/ UK /ɛksˈɜːpt/ ex·cerpt UK spelling excerpts

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a small part of a book, article, or song that you read or listen to separately.

    a short extract from a film, broadcast, or piece of music or writing.

    Simple

    The teacher read a short excerpt from the novel to the class.

    In context

    The anthology includes a brief excerpt from the author's final memoir, providing a poignant glimpse into his creative process during his later years.

One of the excerpts was a scratch performance by Fadi Murad, which now returns as a full-length show.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

Most of the even-numbered chapters are excerpts from the final work, I Give You My Silence.

The Guardian· 11 Aug 2026

From Latin excerptus, past participle of excerpere (“to pick out”), from ex (“out”) + carpere (“to pick, pluck”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated