lubricant
Americannoun
-
lubricants
plural
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lubricant
1815–25; < Latin lūbricant- (stem of lūbricāns ), present participle of lūbricāre to make slippery. See lubric, -ant
Explanation
Lubricant is an oily or greasy substance that makes machine parts move more easily. If your door squeaks loudly every time you open it, you may want to use some lubricant on its rusty hinges. When metal surfaces are in contact with each other, especially when they're rough or rusty, there's friction. In order for a machine with moving parts to work quickly and efficiently, it's important to reduce that friction, which is where lubricant comes in. These are usually made mostly of oil, though often they're thicker than a liquid, and they enable two surfaces to slide smoothly against each other, whether that's a key in a lock or engine parts in a car.
Vocabulary lists containing lubricant
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:
Exxon is expected to spend about $2 billion to upgrade its Baytown, Texas, refinery to make more diesel and lubricant base stocks—and less gasoline—starting in 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The researchers now want to make the lubricant production process more sustainable while also making the resulting product more widely available.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
Shohei Ohtani had lubricant injected into his left knee, and the Dodgers two-way star is expected to start Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Petroleum is an essential element in modern industry, whether used as a fuel, a lubricant or an ingredient in plastics and chemicals.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
Stopping before the narrow garage, he sniffed the fumes from Paradise with great sensory pleasure, the protruding hairs in his nostrils analyzing, cataloguing, categorizing, and classifying the distinct odors of hot dog, mustard, and lubricant.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Heating oil and diesel are similar refined products with different additives and lubricants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Meanwhile, demand continues to grow for lubricants such as engine oil, which can carry a significant environmental cost to produce.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
But the petroleum products are masked in manifests — labeled waste material, lubricants, residues and other items not subject to the high taxes that Mexico levies on imported fuel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The list of potential contaminants from the 'fire practice pond' include petrol, oil, lubricants, solvents and firefighting chemicals - which were "drained into storm water drainage."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The horse was dead, set to be rendered, to have its atoms turned into pet food and stuff like shampoos, lubricants on condoms, rubber tires, and explosives.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
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