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Synonyms

crude oil

American  

noun

  1. petroleum as it comes from the ground, before refining.

crude oil British  

noun

  1. petroleum before it has been refined

"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
crude oil Scientific  
/ kro̅o̅d /

  1. Unrefined petroleum.

Etymology

Origin of crude oil

First recorded in 1860–65

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.

One crude oil tanker—the Arhimeda—appeared to transit the strait late Thursday, according to Kpler’s MarineTraffic data service.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Despite being the world's top producer of crude oil, the United States also felt the pain, as prices at the gas pump shot up.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

This week prices for Russian Urals crude oil awaiting export hit the highest level since April 2012, according to Argus Media.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

About two-thirds of Singapore's crude oil imports come from countries in the Middle East, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

A gasket blows five thousand feet underwater beneath an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, sending millions of barrels of crude oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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.