crude oil
Americannoun
noun
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.
The steep cut comes as China, the world’s largest crude oil buyer, drastically lowered crude imports as weaker refining activity and lower refined-product exports weigh on domestic operations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
At the center, they placed a 1.5-meter-wide pool of crude oil floating on water.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
The investigation published last week showed that global advisory firm Mercer has invested on Tuvalu's behalf in funds exposed to coal mining, gas exploration and the world's largest crude oil refinery.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Meanwhile, U.S. commercial crude oil stocks fell by 8 million barrels last week as export demand remained high, with an additional 8 million barrels released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
This time I've sprayed my white-blond strands a deep black, as if I'd dipped them in crude oil.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
