oil patch
Americannoun
-
an area in which oil is produced.
-
the petroleum industry.
Etymology
Origin of oil patch
First recorded in 1960–65
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 company also will join a consortium of investors exploring the construction of a pipeline to connect Iraq’s oil patch with the Syrian coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
But there are winners beyond the oil patch.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
So investors looking for winners in this tough stock market don’t have to limit themselves to the oil patch.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
“I took the opportunity to retire,” said Rafael Sandrea, who for decades had run a Caracas-based firm that helped producers analyze reams of data from the oil patch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
He came to realize that any business in the oil patch was an enormous gamble, even when prices were sky high, and he really wasn’t much of a gambler.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
