bitumen
Americannoun
-
any of various natural substances, as asphalt, maltha, or gilsonite, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons.
-
(formerly) an asphalt of Asia Minor used as cement and mortar.
noun
-
any of various viscous or solid impure mixtures of hydrocarbons that occur naturally in asphalt, tar, mineral waxes, etc: used as a road surfacing and roofing material
-
the constituents of coal that can be extracted by an organic solvent
-
any liquid suitable for coating aggregates
-
-
informal any road with a bitumen surface
-
informal (capital) the road in the Northern Territory between Darwin and Alice Springs
-
-
a transparent brown pigment or glaze made from asphalt
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bitumen
1425–75; late Middle English bithumen < Latin bitūmen
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.
Canadian exports of energy products rose a second consecutive month in September, increasing by 8.2% with a jump in shipments of crude oil and bitumen and higher prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
The pitted road surface was scalped by a 30-tonne machine planer and the debris swept out before a bitumen emulsion binder was sprayed ahead of the laying of fresh asphalt.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
To produce oil there, the industry separates heavy oil, or bitumen, from the sands through an underground process that uses steam.
From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026
Volatile dilutants added to the heavy bitumen from Alberta enable it to flow through the pipeline.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
The origin of this bitumen is disputed: it was supposed to be derived from subaqueous strata of bituminous marl and rose to the surface when loosened by earthquakes.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 10 "David, St" to "Demidov" by Various
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
