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Synonyms

petrol

1 American  
[pe-truhl] / ˈpɛ trəl /

noun

  1. British. gasoline.

  2. Archaic. petroleum.

verb (used with object)

petrolled, petrolling

  1. British. to clean with gasoline.

petrol. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. petrology.

petrol. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. petrology

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
petrol 2 British  
/ ˈpɛtrəl /

noun

  1. US and Canadian name: gasoline.  any one of various volatile flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, mainly hexane, heptane, and octane, obtained from petroleum and used as a solvent and a fuel for internal-combustion engines. Usually petrol also contains additives such as antiknock compounds and corrosion inhibitors

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of petrol

1590–1600; < Middle French petrole < Medieval Latin petroleum petroleum

Explanation

Petrol is a fuel derived from petroleum. If you are American, you probably call petrol "gas." When the price of petrol goes up, lots of people complain, because petrol is gasoline. Petrol is the fuel used in many types of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, motorboats, and airplanes. Petrol is derived from petroleum, and besides smelling bad, it's very flammable. If you light a match near petrol, there will be an explosion. Since petrol comes from petroleum, petrol is a fossil fuel.

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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.

"Petrol sales contributed 6.1 million euros per day."

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Nazmul Haque, president of the Bangladesh Petrol Pump Owners Association, said he had halved the amount of fuel he sells per day, warning of a string of fights as anger rose among consumers.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

Petrol prices fell 14.6 percent, thanks in part to government subsidies, but food excluding fresh produce rose 6.2 percent.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Petrol is currently 131.91p per litre, which is the lowest price since July 2021, according to the RAC motoring group.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

Petrol, raw fish, and stale sweat dominated a battle of odors for the stuffy space.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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.