exacted

verb

past tense of exact
1
as in demanded
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority every war inevitably exacts the greatest sacrifice possible from some of the nation's best and brightest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imposed
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty vowed to exact a heavy fine from any hockey player engaging in such outrageous behavior on the ice

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in extorted
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats that loan shark can be counted upon to exact repayment of his loan by whatever means necessary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exacted The story exemplifies Bandyopadhyay’s method of locating the partition’s violence beyond the riots, in the economic destitution that followed and what that destitution exacted from women. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026 While Chang’s visual work is a means to consider the harm exacted on Chinese communities in early US history, so is the poem at the heart of the book. — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 The gap between this miracle and the losses absorbed by ordinary citizens is the cost the war has exacted. — Frayda Leibtag, Time, 13 July 2026 Cord-cutting, dismissed as a remote threat by pay-TV operators, has exacted a severe toll, reducing the size of the overall pay bundle by more than 30% over the past decade. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 9 July 2026 Iran has demanded the right to collect money from ships using the strait, and in some cases has already exacted payment to let ships leave. — David McHugh, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026 The continuing crisis in Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz have exacted a heavy cost worldwide. — Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 May 2026 Orlando defeated Washington 1-0 to claim the 2024 NWSL Championship, while the Spirit exacted revenge with a penalty shootout victory in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026 Though active hostilities have paused for the moment, the conflict has already exacted a tragic toll on combatants and civilians alike, threatened global stability and underscored in stark relief the grim reality of war. — William E. Lori, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exacted
  1. demanded
  2. imposed
  3. extorted
  4. required
  5. charged
  6. squeezed
  7. levied
Verb
  • Officials in the seven western states have been battling over the Colorado River’s water for more than a century, particularly as the West's increasing population has demanded more water at a time of persistent drought.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Driver Harjit Kaur was charged only with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence — a maximum one-year sentence — and has pleaded not guilty and demanded a trial.
    — Ruyuan Li. Story produced with AI assistance, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of demanded
Verb
  • In a live context, and with the limits imposed by a hardware-heavy setup, there’s more possibility that the process will throw out some startling mutation.
    — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2026
  • On Thursday, the White House imposed a 15% tariff as well as price floors on products made from polysilicon, a material used in semiconductors and solar panels that’s primarily produced by China, in order to encourage domestic industry.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of imposed
Verb
  • The police chief allegedly extorted the victim and the victim’s father in connection with the pending murder case.
    — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • The necessity of it to my defence against a more heinous charge could alone have extorted from me so painful an indecorum.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 June 2026
Definition of extorted
Verb
  • Multiply that by the three to five cups required for a loaf of bread, and your end product’s consistency will be off.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2026
  • No law required it, no lawsuit compelled it, and the commission had not even reported.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of required
Verb
  • The Green Bay Packers held their annual Family Night Scrimmage Friday night — a practice inside of Lambeau Field where fans were charged $10 to watch the 2-hour, 15 minute session.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • In 2020, police charged two Los Angeles-area men and a woman with participating in Tran’s killing.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of charged
Verb
  • But attorneys and housing advocates who work with struggling homeowners say household budgets are being squeezed from several directions.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Io is repeatedly squeezed and stretched by Jupiter and the gravitational pulls of neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • Rest assured, the market reaction wasn’t trader nailbiting over tariffs levied on Peru, South Sudan, and the Marshall Islands.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The Texas branch of the NAACP has asked a federal appeals court to consider reversing monetary sanctions levied against attorneys who sued the Keller school board over voter discrimination claims.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of levied

Browse Nearby Words

exact
exacted
exacting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exacted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exacted. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on exacted

Nglish: Translation of exacted for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All