lubricant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- nonlubricant noun
- unlubricant adjective
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.
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
Instead, it acted as a "lubricant" for Earth's internal engine.
From Science Daily • Dec. 26, 2025
The carry trade was the lubricant keeping global asset prices inflated.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 23, 2025
A spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada told the Globe and Mail that the substance was not a petroleum hydrocarbon, petroleum lubricant, biofuel or biodiesel.
From BBC • Oct. 12, 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
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.
