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
The oldest brandy label still around today is Laird & Company which began distilling its Applejack brandy in 1780 in New Jersey.
—Jillian Dara, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
The molasses used for Single Estate Series comes exclusively from our Estate, and it's distilled entirely in pot stills and aged in ex-Bourbon barrels.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
All rum is distilled from sugarcane, and most rum is distilled from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The base spirit is shochu, distilled from rice, which imparts a distinctly velvety texture to the bright gin.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distill
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Jillian Dara, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
The molasses used for Single Estate Series comes exclusively from our Estate, and it's distilled entirely in pot stills and aged in ex-Bourbon barrels.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
All rum is distilled from sugarcane, and most rum is distilled from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production.
—Tony Sachs, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
The base spirit is shochu, distilled from rice, which imparts a distinctly velvety texture to the bright gin.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for distill
Cite this Entry
“Distill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distill. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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
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