kerosene
Americannoun
adjective
noun
-
Also called: paraffin. a liquid mixture consisting mainly of alkane hydrocarbons with boiling points in the range 150°–300°C, used as an aircraft fuel, in domestic heaters, and as a solvent
-
the general name for paraffin as a fuel for jet aircraft
Usage
The spelling kerosine is now the preferred form in technical and industrial usage
Etymology
Origin of kerosene
1852; irregular < Greek kērós wax + -ene; formerly trademark
Explanation
Kerosene is an oil that's commonly used for fuel in stoves, lamps, and heaters. If you go camping, you might heat up some chili over a portable kerosene stove before telling ghost stories. Kerosene is an efficient fuel, which makes it portable — you don't need to burn that much kerosene to generate heat or cook food. It's common, therefore, in camping stoves and lamps, and it's a low-cost method of backup heat during power outages as well. Also known as paraffin, kerosene has other uses, including powering jet engines, the outboard motors of small boats, and in parts of Asia, motorcycles as well.
Vocabulary lists containing kerosene
The Distance Between Us
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My Name Is Not Easy
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 4
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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.
The Middle East supplies about a fifth of the world’s jet fuel, a form of kerosene that is purer and can withstand the freezing temperatures at cruise altitudes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
Government programmes have rapidly expanded LPG use for cooking in India, replacing kerosene and traditional biomass like firewood and dung.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Current tariffs of 10 percent on unleaded gasoline and seven percent on diesel, aviation fuel and kerosene would all be temporarily removed under the decree.
From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026
The biggest increase, over the 12 months to December, was a 6.3% increase in the price of fuel, after the cost of kerosene went up in the past three months.
From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026
There was clean linen on the chair next to the stove, and on the shelf there was water, atole meal, sugar, milk, kerosene, and other things.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
