heavy oil

British  

noun

1. a hydrocarbon mixture, heavier than water, distilled from coal tar

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Example Sentences

A global shortage of heavy oil has squeezed Gulf Coast refinery margins for years, prompting them to use more of the costlier U.S.-produced oil to make transportation fuels and petrochemicals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

It also allowed American companies to sell diluents to Venezuela, which are needed to pump the country’s heavy oil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

What’s more, heavy oil sells for less money.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

But drilling in Venezuela is still likely more expensive than other areas, because of the heavy oil produced there, said Jim Burkhard, S&P Global’s head of Crude Oil Research.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

It was a big, light room in a wing of the house, all the windows thrown open to air out the heavy oil and turpentine smells.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez