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Synonyms

gasoline

American  
[gas-uh-leen, gas-uh-leen] / ˌgæs əˈlin, ˈgæs əˌlin /

noun

  1. a volatile, flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, obtained from petroleum, and used as fuel for internal-combustion engines, as a solvent, etc.

gasoline British  
/ ˌɡæsəˈlɪnɪk, ˈɡæsəˌliːn /

noun

  1. Also called (esp in Britain): petrol.  any one of various volatile flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, mainly hexane, heptane, and octane, obtained from petroleum and used as a solvent and a fuel for internal-combustion engines. Usually petrol also contains additives such as antiknock compounds and corrosion inhibitors

"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
gasoline Scientific  
/ găs′ə-lēn′ /

  1. A highly flammable mixture of liquid hydrocarbons that are derived from petroleum. The hydrocarbons in gasoline contain between five and eight carbon atoms. Gasoline is used as a fuel for internal-combustion engines in automobiles, motorcycles, and small trucks.

Other Word Forms

  • gasolineless adjective
  • gasolinic adjective

Etymology

Origin of gasoline

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; gas + -ol 2 + -ine 2

Vocabulary lists containing gasoline

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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.

“This is a temporary blip,” Coday said about rising gasoline prices related to the war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Mitch Coleman, an accountant in Ohio, wrote that in his state there is a $200 a year surcharge on EVs, levied because the vehicles don’t pay a tax on gasoline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

At an average national price of $4.15 per gallon, gasoline is still at the same level where it was before the cease-fire was announced.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The increased price of fuel oil and gasoline experienced the highest increases, accounting for over 30 and 21 percent jumps respectively between February and March.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

But it was gasoline and it would burn.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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.