Distill is a verb with several related meanings in chemistry and in general English. It can mean to purifymake a substance clean or free from unwanted materials a liquid by heating and condensing it, to separate something through distillationprocess of heating and cooling a liquid to separate components, or more loosely to reduce something to its most essentialmost important; necessary to keep the basic meaning parts.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /dɪˈstɪl/
Easy pronunciation: dih-STIL (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress on the second syllable.
Verb meaning to purify a liquid by distillation.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Distill Meaning
to purify a liquid by heating it and collecting the condensed vapor
Part of speech: verb
Definition: remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation
Example: They distilled the water before using it in the lab.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- purify — Works well for the main idea of making a liquid clean or pure through distillation.
- make pure — A valid phrase, though less natural than purify in everyday use.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Distill
Meaning 2
to go through distillation
Part of speech: verb
Definition: undergo the process of distillation
Example: The liquid distills at a lower temperature under reduced pressure.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- distil — Same verb spelling variant, used for this intransitive sense.
Meaning 3
to let out drops of liquid
Part of speech: verb
Definition: give off (a liquid)
Example: The plant seemed to distill a sticky sap from its leaves.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- distil — Matches the sense of giving off liquid in drops.
Meaning 4
to get something out by distilling it
Part of speech: verb
Definition: extract by the process of distillation
Example: They distill the essential oil from the flowers.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- extract — A close fit when the meaning is to obtain something by a process, especially in chemistry.
- distil — The same verb spelling variant, used in this sense.
Meaning 5
to turn from gas into liquid and drip down
Part of speech: verb
Definition: undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
Example: Water vapor distills on the cold surface.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- condense — The best direct synonym for this physical change.
- distil — Variant spelling used for this sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Distill Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- purify
- make pure
to go through distillation
- distil
to let out drops of liquid
- distil
to get something out by distilling it
- extract
- distil
to turn from gas into liquid and drip down
- condense
- distil
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not confuse distill with distil, which is just a spelling variant.
- Do not use extract for every sense; it fits the ‘obtain by distillation’ sense, not the main ‘purify a liquid’ sense.
- Do not mix the chemistry senses with the more figurative meaning of distill as ‘reduce to essentials,’ which is not included in the source data.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does distill mean?
Distill usually means to purify a liquid by heating it and collecting the condensed vapor. It can also mean to obtain something through distillation or to make a liquid separate into drops.
What are the best synonyms for distill?
For the main sense, the best synonyms are purify and make pure. Other senses use different words such as extract or condense, depending on the meaning.
Is distil the same as distill?
Yes. Distil is the same word spelled in the British form, while distill is the more common American spelling.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-30. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
