extra
Noun pluralextras
Pluralextras
- 1More than what you usually need or expect.
Like one more cookie than you really need, kept just in case.
We bought extra food in case more guests showed up.
She kept an extra blanket in the closet for cold nights.
UsageSay an extra bag or extra pay.
Similaradditional, further, spare, supplementary
- 2Something more added on top of the usual thing.
Like a topping you pay more to add to your pizza.
Breakfast turned out to be an extra we hadn't paid for.
Music lessons were offered as an extra at the school.
UsageSay an optional extra.
Similaraddition, supplement
- 3Very much, to a higher degree than usual.
The soup tasted extra spicy today.
Be extra careful on the wet floor.
UsageSay extra hard or extra careful.
Similarespecially, particularly, exceptionally, very, really
- 4A person who appears in the background of a movie or play but has no lines to say.
Like the people walking by in the background of a photo.
She worked as an extra in a war movie last summer.
Hundreds of extras filled the stadium scene.
Similarsupernumerary
Note
Less common meanings
- 5Behaving in a way that is too dramatic or showy for the situation.
Like wearing your fanciest clothes just to walk the dog.
You're being so extra about a tiny scratch on your phone.
Her birthday party was way too extra for a five-year-old.
Similardramatic, excessive, over-the-top, theatrical
Note
- 6A special edition of a newspaper printed quickly to report big news.
Like a breaking-news alert on your phone, but printed on paper long ago.
Newsboys sold the extra on every corner after the disaster.
The paper rushed out an extra when the war ended.
Note
- 7The habit of acting in a way that is too dramatic or showy.
Like turning a small spill into a huge drama.
Nobody asked for all that extra over a missed bus.
Her extra gets exhausting when every little thing becomes a big drama.
Similardrama, theatrics, histrionics
Note
- 8In cricket, a run the batting team gets that is not counted for any one batter.
Like getting a free point because the other team slipped up.
The team added five extras from wides and byes.
A bye counts as an extra, even though no one hit the ball.
UsageA bowler gives away extras.
Similarsundry
Note
- 9
- 10In the military, a day of extra work given as punishment, often on weekends.
Like getting detention at school, but you must work instead of sit.
The recruit got an extra for showing up late to drill.
He spent his whole weekend doing extras as punishment.
UsageSay sign extra.
Note
- 11A product that is better than the normal grade or quality.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
A short form of the word "extraordinary".
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Extra is a short form of extraordinary. en.wiktionary.org