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coal oil

American  
[kohl oil] / ˈkoʊl ˌɔɪl /

noun

Older U.S. Use and Canadian.

  1. petroleum obtained by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal.

  2. kerosene.

coal oil British  

noun

  1. petroleum or a refined product from petroleum, esp kerosene

  2. a crude oil produced, together with coal gas, during the distillation of bituminous coal

"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 coal oil

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

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.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wanted the talks to secure clearer steps for how countries would move away from coal, oil and gas.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

Because it traps ancient air bubbles, ice is the only climatic archive of the atmosphere of the past and thus of greenhouse gas concentrations before the industrial burning of coal, oil and gas.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

Scientists have found air pollution from coal, oil and gas combustion kills millions of people around the world every year, in large part by exacerbating heart disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2025

Carbon dioxide, released when humans burn coal, oil and gas, is called a greenhouse gas because it traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to climate warming.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2024

Right after supper, while Papa was putting some coal oil in the lantern, I went to the tool shed and got a pick and shovel.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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.