What does "distil" mean?
To exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops.
Distil
/dɪˈstɪl/ verb
verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops.
- Grammar: distil is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: condense, extract, purify, abstract.
- Useful contrasts: contaminate, dilate, dilute.
- Usage evidence: You can distil water and whiskey.
How to use "distil"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "distil" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "distil" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "distil" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "distil" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "distil" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "condense" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "distil", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To exude (a liquid) in small drops; also, to give off (a vapour) which condenses in small drops. UK, transitive
"Firs distil resin."
- 2 give off (a liquid) wordnet
- 3 To impart (information, etc.) in small quantities; to infuse. UK, broadly, figuratively, transitive
"But of all other men our Solomon could leaſt be ignorant of this truth. Not only for that reaſon, becauſe God had filled his heart with a large meaſure of wiſdom beyond other men: but even for this reaſon alſo: that being born of wiſe and godly Parents, and born to a Kingdom too, […] he had this truth (conſidering the great uſefulneſs of it to him in the whole time of his future Government) early diſtilled into him by both his Parents, and was ſeaſoned thereinto from his childhood in his education."
- 4 undergo the process of distillation wordnet
- 5 To heat (a substance, usually a liquid) so that a vapour is produced, and then to cool the vapour so that it condenses back into a liquid, either to purify the original substance or to obtain one of its components; to subject to distillation. UK, transitive
"Haue I not bene Thy Pupill long? Haſt thou not learn'd me how To make Perfumes? Diſtill? Preſerue?"
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 extract by the process of distillation wordnet
- 7 Followed by off or out: to expel (a volatile substance) from something by distillation. UK, transitive
- 8 undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops wordnet
- 9 To extract the essence of (something) by, or as if by, distillation; to concentrate, to purify. UK, also, figuratively, transitive
"But earthlyer happy is the roſe diſtild, Then that, which, withering on the virgin thorne, Growes, liues, and dies, in ſingle bleſſedneſſe."
- 10 remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation wordnet
- 11 To transform a thing (into something else) by distillation. UK, also, figuratively, transitive
"Ile grow to your embraces, till two ſoules Diſtilled into kiſſes, through our lips Doe make one ſpirit of love."
- 12 To make (something, especially spirits such as gin and whisky) by distillation. UK, also, figuratively, transitive
"There is ſome ſoule of goodneſſe in things euill, VVould men obſeruingly diſtill it out."
- 13 To transform a complex large language model into a smaller one. UK, also, figuratively, transitive
"“We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models, and will share information as we know more,” she said."
- 14 To dissolve or melt (something). UK, obsolete, transitive
"Swords by the Light'ning's ſubtile Force diſtill'd, And the cold Sheath with running Metal fill'd: […]"
- 15 To fall or trickle down in small drops; to exude, to ooze out; also, to come out as a vapour which condenses in small drops. UK, intransitive
"The Euphrates […] diſtilleth out of the mountains of Armenia."
- 16 To flow or pass gently or slowly; hence (figuratively) to be manifested gently or gradually. UK, intransitive
"And al Iſrael haue tranſgreſſed thy law, and haue declined from hearing thy voice, and the malediction hath diſtilled vpon vs, & the deteſtation, which is written in the booke of Moyſes the ſeruant of God, becauſe we haue ſinned to him."
- 17 To drip or be wet with some liquid. UK, intransitive
"So when two Boars, in wild Ytene bred, Or on VVeſtphalia’s fatt’ning Cheſt-nuts fed, […] In the black Flood they wallow o’er and o’er, ’Till their arm’d Jaws diſtill with Foam and Gore."
- 18 To turn into a vapour and then condense back into a liquid; to undergo or be produced by distillation. UK, intransitive
"The outward Peace of the Church, Diſtilleth into Peace of Conſcience; […]"
Antonyms
Example
"You can distil water and whiskey."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "distil"?
Common synonyms include: condense, extract, purify, abstract, distill, make pure.
How do you use "distil" in a sentence?
You can distil water and whiskey.
How do you pronounce "distil"?
Pronounced /dɪˈstɪl/.
Etymology
PIE word *de From Late Middle English distillen (“to fall, flow, or shed in drops, drop, trickle; to shed drops; to fill (the eyes) with tears; (alchemy, medicine) to subject (something) to distillation; to obtain (something) using distillation; to distil; to condense or vaporize; (figuratively) to give (good fortune) to; to say (slanderous words)”) [and other forms], from Old French distiller (modern French distiller (“to distil”)), and from its etymon Latin distīllāre, a variant of Latin dēstīllāre, the present active infinitive of dēstīllō (“to drip or trickle down; to distil”), from dē- (prefix meaning ‘down, down from, down to’) + stīllō (“to drip, drop, trickle; to distil”) (from stīlla (“drop of liquid; (figuratively) small quantity”), probably a diminutive of stīria (“ice drop; icicle”)). Cognates * French distiller (“to distil”) * Italian distillare (“to distil”) * Occitan distillar * Portuguese destilar (“to distil; to drip”) * Spanish destilar (“to distil; to exude; to filter”)