oil
Americannoun
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any of a large class of substances typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether or alcohol but not in water: used for anointing, perfuming, lubricating, illuminating, heating, etc.
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a substance of this or similar consistency.
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refined or crude petroleum.
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Painting.
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Informal. unctuous hypocrisy; flattery.
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an oilskin garment.
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Australian and New Zealand Slang. facts or news; information.
good oil.
verb (used with object)
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to smear, lubricate, or supply with oil.
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to bribe.
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to make unctuous or smooth.
to oil his words.
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to convert into oil by melting, as butter.
adjective
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pertaining to or resembling oil.
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using oil, especially as a fuel.
an oil furnace.
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concerned with the production or use of oil.
an offshore oil rig.
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made with oil.
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obtained from oil.
idioms
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pour oil on troubled waters, to attempt to calm a difficult or tense situation, as an argument.
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strike oil,
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to discover oil, especially to bring in a well.
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to have good luck, especially financially; make an important and valuable discovery.
They struck oil only after years of market research.
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noun
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any of a number of viscous liquids with a smooth sticky feel. They are usually flammable, insoluble in water, soluble in organic solvents, and are obtained from plants and animals, from mineral deposits, and by synthesis. They are used as lubricants, fuels, perfumes, foodstuffs, and raw materials for chemicals See also essential oil fixed oil
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another name for petroleum
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( as modifier )
an oil engine
an oil rig
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Also called: lubricating oil. any of a number of substances usually derived from petroleum and used for lubrication
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( in combination )
an oilcan
an oilstone
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( as modifier )
an oil pump
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Also called: fuel oil. a petroleum product used as a fuel in domestic heating, industrial furnaces, marine engines, etc
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paraffin, esp when used as a domestic fuel
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( as modifier )
an oil lamp
an oil stove
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any substance of a consistency resembling that of oil
oil of vitriol
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the solvent, usually linseed oil, with which pigments are mixed to make artists' paints
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(often plural) oil colour or paint
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( as modifier )
an oil painting
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an oil painting
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slang facts or news
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to discover petroleum while drilling for it
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informal to become very rich or successful
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verb
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to lubricate, smear, polish, etc, with oil or an oily substance
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informal to bribe (esp in the phrase oil someone's palm )
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to make things run smoothly
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See well-oiled
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Any of a large class of viscous liquids that are typically very slippery and greasy. Oils are composed mostly of glycerides. They are flammable, do not mix with water, and include animal and vegetable fats as well as substances of mineral or synthetic origin. They are used in food, soap, and candles, and make good lubricants and fuels.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of oil
1125–75; Middle English olie, oile < Old French < Latin oleum, olīvum (olive) oil < *oleivum ( cf. Deus) < dialectal Greek *élaiwon ( Attic élaion ), derivative of *elaíwā olive
Explanation
Oil is a liquid fat or fuel. You might dress your salad with olive oil and use motor oil in your car's engine; just don't confuse the two! There's the oil you put in your car or use to oil a rusty lock — then there's the oil you heat to stir fry vegetables or whisk with vinegar to make salad dressing. Chemically, these oils have a lot in common, from their tendency to avoid water to their slipperiness to the ease with which they catch on fire. Still, you'd never want to toss a bowl of spaghetti with motor oil — stick to olive oil instead.
Vocabulary lists containing oil
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.
At the same time, Americans planning summer vacations are increasingly confronting higher airfare, hotel and transportation prices as instability in the Middle East and ongoing concerns over oil markets continue affecting fuel costs.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
This pushed European oil and gas stocks lower.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
The United States and Iran have both played down chances of a quick deal to end a war that has engulfed the Middle East and disrupted the global oil market.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
India has its own foreign policy of strategic autonomy, where it looks at each issue from its own pragmatic interests—a stance it has often cited to justify its purchases of Russian oil despite U.S. criticism.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
Ella plucked a vial of coconut oil and a tub of gel from another compartment.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
