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
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
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
A total of 7,400 tons of creosote piles were removed and more than 30,000 tons of clean sandy gravel dumped to cap decades of pollutants.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2023
Standing atop its foundations, you will begin to notice rocky outlines through the greasewood and creosote, revealing the outlines of hundreds of structures, including houses, storage tanks and open-air aqueducts, stretching into the distance.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2023
Javier used to steal my micro dolls when he was mad at me and hide them in the creosote bush.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
