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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.

Last week, a Russian-owned tanker carrying an estimated 730,000 barrels of crude oil became the first crude oil shipment to dock in one of Cuba's ports since early January.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Here is a possible timeline for the complicated process of restoring the full international flow of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, as explained by Myra P. Saefong in the Commodities Corner column.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

Since 27 January, no crude oil from Russia has reached Hungary via Ukraine through the Druzhba pipeline, which translates as the "Friendship pipeline".

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

"The report shows that the rise in prices at the pump is far greater than that of underlying crude oil prices," Greenpeace said in a statement.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

Her tone couldn’t have held more wonder and censure if Zooey’s pores had been exuding crude oil.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

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.