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exact

verb
ex·​act | \ ig-ˈzakt How to pronounce exact (audio) \
exacted; exacting; exacts

Definition of exact

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to call for forcibly or urgently and obtain from them has been exacted the ultimate sacrifice— D. D. Eisenhower
2 : to call for as necessary or desirable

exact

adjective

Definition of exact (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : exhibiting or marked by strict, particular, and complete accordance with fact or a standard
2 : marked by thorough consideration or minute measurement of small factual details
Other Words from exact Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Do you exact or extract revenge? Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about exact

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Other Words from exact

Verb

exactable \ ig-​ˈzak-​tÉ™-​bÉ™l How to pronounce exactable (audio) \ adjective
exactor or less commonly exacter \ ig-​ˈzak-​tÉ™r How to pronounce exacter (audio) \ noun

Adjective

exactness \ ig-​ˈzak(t)-​nÉ™s How to pronounce exactness (audio) \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for exact

Verb

demand, claim, require, exact mean to ask or call for something as due or as necessary. demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands. demanded payment of the debt claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right. claimed the right to manage his own affairs require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation. the patient requires constant attention exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands. exacts absolute loyalty

Adjective

correct, accurate, exact, precise, nice, right mean conforming to fact, standard, or truth. correct usually implies freedom from fault or error. correct answers socially correct dress accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care. an accurate description exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth. exact measurements precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation. precise calibration nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination. makes nice distinctions right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault. the right thing to do

Do you exact or extract revenge?

Verb

The verb exact (as in, "exacting revenge" or "exacting a promise") is not as commonly encountered as the adjective exact, (as in "an exact copy" or "exact measurements"). Sometimes people will mistakenly use the more common verb extract when they really want exact. Extract can refer to removing something by pulling or cutting or to getting information from someone who does not want to give it. While both words refer to getting something they are used in different ways. You extract a tooth, but you exact revenge.

Did You Know?

Verb

Exact derives from a form of the Latin verb exigere, meaning "to drive out, to demand, or to measure." (Another descendant of exigere is the word exigent, which can mean "demanding" or "requiring immediate attention.") Exigere, in turn, was formed by combining the prefix ex- with the verb agere, meaning "to drive." Agere has been a very prolific source of words for English speakers; it is the ancestor of agent, react, mitigate, and navigate, just to name a few. Incidentally, if you are looking for a synonym of the verb exact, you could try demand, call for, claim, or require.

Examples of exact in a Sentence

Verb

 They would not rest until they had exacted revenge. He was able to exact a promise from them.

Adjective

 Those were his exact words. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. We don't know the exact nature of the problem. Predicting the path of hurricanes is not an exact science. The police have an exact description of the killer. Please take the most exact measurements possible. He is very exact in the way he solves a problem.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 Which exacts a price on even the most confident players. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Can Serena Williams Win the U.S. Open?," 14 Aug. 2019 Democrats could exact a price from Republicans for fixing flaws in the 2017 law. — Richard Rubin, WSJ, "What a Democratic House Would Mean for Your Taxes," 2 Nov. 2018 Miocic waited a year and a month to exact his revenge on Daniel Cormier on Saturday night, after losing his title to him in July 2018. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com, "Stipe Miocic, Simone Biles and a tale of two Ohio champions: Doug Lesmerises," 19 Aug. 2019 The Nightingale follows an Irish woman, Clare (Aisling Franciosi), who sets out to exact justice after being assaulted by Hawkins and his men and witnessing them murder her husband and child. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale Delves Into a Harrowing Past," 4 Aug. 2019 Don’t just take my word on it — economic papers confirm that Trump’s escalating series of trade wars have exacted an escalating cost on the American economy. — Daniel W. Drezner, Twin Cities, "Daniel Drezner: Warren’s trade plan is bad politics and worse policy," 1 Aug. 2019 Whenever animals were observed communicating with each other, indicating that their signals were evolutionarily stable, scientists assumed the behavior must exact a cost. — Quanta Magazine, "Hunger Game: Is Honesty Between Animals Always the Best Policy?," 9 Jan. 2013 The bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was carried out by Timothy McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran who wanted to exact revenge against the federal government for the deadly sieges in Waco, Texas, and Ruby Ridge, Idaho. — Vera Bergengruen, Time, "‘We Are Being Eaten From Within.’ Why America Is Losing the Battle Against White Nationalist Terrorism," 8 Aug. 2019 Something triggers her memory in the series finale, and Red pledges to exact revenge on her former friend. — Bethonie Butler, chicagotribune.com, "So, you stopped watching ‘Orange Is the New Black’ three seasons ago? Here’s how it ends," 27 July 2019

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