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.
Airlines—currently second in the demand-destruction stakes, the IEA says—will buy more kerosene.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
A wood stove heated our home, and we had kerosene lanterns at the ready in case of a power outage.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Climate activists are urging movie stars to fly economy or take the train to Cannes after saying private jets burned two millions of litres of kerosene getting them to the film festival last year.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
The EU says it is not facing shortages yet, but it is readying for the worst -- and weighing options including using US kerosene as a back-up.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Quickly it was realized that petroleum in volume not only could be used to bind bowels and banish scabby growths but could be refined into lucrative products like paraffin and kerosene.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
