A cash-out refinance is a refinancing of an existing mortgage loan, where the new mortgage loan is for a larger amount than the existing mortgage loan, and you (the borrower) get the difference between the two loans in cash. Basically, homeowners do cash-out refinances so they can turn some of the equity they’ve built up in their home into cash.

Here’s an example to illustrate: Let’s say you own a $300,000 house and still owe $200,000 on the current mortgage. (This means you’ve built up $100,000 in equity – a fancy word for ownership). Now let’s say you want some extra cash to the tune of $30,000. You could do a cash-out refinance to get this money. If you did this, you’d get a new loan worth a total of $230,000 (the $200,000 you still owe on your home, plus the $30,000 you’re going to take out in cash).

Reference: https://www.zillow.com/mortgage-learning/cash-out-refinance/