creosote
Americannoun
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an oily liquid having a burning taste and a penetrating odor, obtained by the distillation of coal and wood tar, used mainly as a preservative for wood and as an antiseptic.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a colourless or pale yellow liquid mixture with a burning taste and penetrating odour distilled from wood tar, esp from beechwood, contains creosol and other phenols, and is used as an antiseptic
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Also called: coal-tar creosote. a thick dark liquid mixture prepared from coal tar, containing phenols: used as a preservative for wood
verb
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A yellow or brown oily liquid obtained from coal tar and used as a wood preservative and disinfectant.
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A colorless to yellowish oily liquid containing phenols, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood tar, especially from the wood of a beech, and formerly used as an expectorant in treating chronic bronchitis.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has creosotedperfect 3rd person singular
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have creosotedperfect
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am creosotingprogressive 1st person singular
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are creosotingprogressive
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have been creosotingperfect progressive
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is creosotingprogressive 3rd person singular
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creosotessingular 3rd person
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creosotingparticiple
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has been creosotingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had creosotedperfect
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had been creosotingperfect progressive
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were creosotingprogressive plural
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creosotedparticiple
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was creosotingprogressive singular
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creosotedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of creosote
< German Kreosote (1832) < Greek kreo-, combining form of kréas flesh + sōtēr savior, preserver (in reference to its antiseptic properties)
Vocabulary lists containing creosote
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.
Members of the public lodged at least 25 formal complaints about a pungent smell, described as a mix of creosote and outdoor cleaning fluid.
From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025
Most people experience the Mojave’s widely spaced small shrubs and creosote bushes through the windshield of an air-conditioned car as they drive between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2024
“A professional chimney sweep can inspect your fireplace and chimney for any damage and clean out any soot or creosote buildup,” she says.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 24, 2023
The wood preservative creosote, which has been associated with an increased risk of contracting cancer, was used for more than 80 years at the site until the 1980s.
From Washington Times • Sep. 27, 2023
Here, on a low, sun-scorched rise dotted with chollas and indigobushes and twelve-foot ocotillo stems, McCandless slept on the sand under a tarp hung from a creosote branch.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
