exfiltrate
verb
ex·fil·trate
eks-ˈfil-ˌtrāt 
ˈeks-(ˌ)fil-
exfiltrated; exfiltrating
1
: to remove (someone) furtively from a hostile area
Kublinski avoided detection. He was exfiltrated from Poland, with his family, only after being compromised by a leak from the U.S. government.—
Radek Sikorski
Radek Sikorski2
: to steal (sensitive data) from a computer (as with a flash drive)
: to escape from a hostile area
Examples of exfiltrate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Prosecutors say the overseas IT workers also exfiltrated (a fancy tech word for stole) data from at least two U.S. companies, including a multinational restaurant chain and an American clothing brand.
—Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Once inside, the attackers exfiltrate sensitive data and deploy additional backdoors that provide persistent access for future use.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2025
Researchers have found that more than two dozen earbuds, headphones, speakers and wireless mics from big-name brands are vulnerable to an attack that could see a skilled hacker successfully spying on the user, and even exfiltrating data from some smartphones.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Ransomware can attack database objects, either encrypting or exfiltrating the data.
—Jakub Lamik, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for exfiltrate
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.
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Once inside, the attackers exfiltrate sensitive data and deploy additional backdoors that provide persistent access for future use.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2025
Researchers have found that more than two dozen earbuds, headphones, speakers and wireless mics from big-name brands are vulnerable to an attack that could see a skilled hacker successfully spying on the user, and even exfiltrating data from some smartphones.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Ransomware can attack database objects, either encrypting or exfiltrating the data.
—Jakub Lamik, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for exfiltrate
Cite this Entry
“Exfiltrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exfiltrate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share