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hydrocarbon

American  
[hahy-druh-kahr-buhn, hahy-druh-kahr-] / ˌhaɪ drəˈkɑr bən, ˈhaɪ drəˌkɑr- /

noun

  1. any of a class of compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon, as an alkane, methane, CH 4 , an alkene, ethylene, C 2 H 4 , an alkyne, acetylene, C 2 H 2 , or an aromatic compound, benzene, C 6 H 6 .


hydrocarbon British  
/ ˌhaɪdrəʊˈkɑːbən /

noun

  1. any organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen, such as the alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, terpenes, and arenes

"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

hydrocarbon Scientific  
/ hī′drə-kär′bən /
  1. Any of numerous organic compounds, such as benzene, that contain only carbon and hydrogen.


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of hydrocarbon

First recorded in 1820–30; hydro- 2 + carbon

Vocabulary lists containing hydrocarbon

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.

See Examples For:

At ORNL, Luke Daemen used neutron scattering to help identify the hydrocarbon products created when different polymer chains reacted.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies said Thursday net profit doubled in the second quarter as conflict in the Middle East pushed up hydrocarbon prices.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Growing demand and rising prices could lead to producers going after hydrocarbon resources that are currently uneconomic to explore, Sawan said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Tierra del Fuego is Argentina's youngest and least populated province, with industries like hydrocarbon exploration and fishing closely followed by tourism as local sources of income.

From BBC ● May 10, 2026

This quality is possessed by some chemicals of the chlorinated hydrocarbon group and by others of the organophosphorus group, all synthetically produced, as well as by certain naturally occurring substances.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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