Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for heavy oil. Search instead for heavy+oil.

heavy oil

British  

noun

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

"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

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.

Several other Asian countries that are heavy oil importers enacted energy-saving measures early on.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

Kirkham: Despite the fact that there are a number of refineries in America that need that heavy oil, I’m going to take the under.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

In Venezuela, where Chevron is the largest foreign investor, the company agreed this past week to an asset-swap deal that would boost its position in regions rich in viscous heavy oil that U.S. refineries favor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

To produce oil there, the industry separates heavy oil, or bitumen, from the sands through an underground process that uses steam.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 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

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "heavy oil" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com