lubricant
Americannoun
-
lubricants
plural
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lubricant
1815–25; < Latin lūbricant- (stem of lūbricāns ), present participle of lūbricāre to make slippery. See lubric, -ant
Explanation
Lubricant is an oily or greasy substance that makes machine parts move more easily. If your door squeaks loudly every time you open it, you may want to use some lubricant on its rusty hinges. When metal surfaces are in contact with each other, especially when they're rough or rusty, there's friction. In order for a machine with moving parts to work quickly and efficiently, it's important to reduce that friction, which is where lubricant comes in. These are usually made mostly of oil, though often they're thicker than a liquid, and they enable two surfaces to slide smoothly against each other, whether that's a key in a lock or engine parts in a car.
Vocabulary lists containing lubricant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The lubricant injection Ohtani received a week ago relieves symptoms for a short period of time, usually a few months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Petroleum is an essential element in modern industry, whether used as a fuel, a lubricant or an ingredient in plastics and chemicals.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
“Oil, of course, is entirely consumed outside of plastics and lubricant recycling,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
The idea behind the coating is to mix together a solid material and a lubricant.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2024
Stopping before the narrow garage, he sniffed the fumes from Paradise with great sensory pleasure, the protruding hairs in his nostrils analyzing, cataloguing, categorizing, and classifying the distinct odors of hot dog, mustard, and lubricant.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
But the petroleum products are masked in manifests — labeled waste material, lubricants, residues and other items not subject to the high taxes that Mexico levies on imported fuel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The list of potential contaminants from the 'fire practice pond' include petrol, oil, lubricants, solvents and firefighting chemicals - which were "drained into storm water drainage."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Many links in the global industrial-supply chain are already being tested — such as lubricants, as well as sulfuric acid, helium and aluminum — because of the disruptions in the Persian Gulf, Lynch said.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Researchers believe the source is connected to lubricants such as engine oil.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026
The horse was dead, set to be rendered, to have its atoms turned into pet food and stuff like shampoos, lubricants on condoms, rubber tires, and explosives.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
