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oilcan

American

[oil-kan] / ˈɔɪlˌkæn /

noun

a can having a long spout through which oil is poured or squirted to lubricate machinery or the like.

oilcan British

/ ˈɔɪlˌkæn /

noun

a container with a long nozzle for applying lubricating oil to machinery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of oilcan

First recorded in 1830–40; oil + can ²

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:

oilcan

Later, there’s a quick cut to a farmer pouring from an oilcan into a doghouse with such purpose on his face that you don’t ask questions.

From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2013

Army Signal Corps team had installed a White House telephone near by; it had been left on an upturned yellow oilcan.

From Time Magazine Archive

Made in several designs, the commonest form of filter looks like a glorified five-gallon oilcan painted Army green.

From Time Magazine Archive

When examined by federal agents and Navy bomb experts, it turned out to be a 28-in. disc of plywood with two radio tubes and a quart oilcan mounted on pieces of plastic.

From Time Magazine Archive

Her animal calls could fool even Dr. Westminster, and her creaky-door noise would set anyone running for an oilcan.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023