petroleum
an oily, thick, flammable, usually dark-colored liquid that is a form of bitumen or a mixture of various hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in various parts of the world and commonly obtained by drilling: used in a natural or refined state as fuel, or separated by distillation into gasoline, naphtha, benzene, kerosene, paraffin, etc.
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Origin of petroleum
1Other words from petroleum
- pe·tro·le·ous, adjective
Words Nearby petroleum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use petroleum in a sentence
The toothbrush probably contains plastic, which is made from petroleum, a fossil fuel.
Bill Gates: Here's a Formula That Explains Where We Need to Invest in Climate Innovation | Bill Gates | January 22, 2021 | TimePolyester fabrics are made of plastic fibers produced from petroleum.
Why today’s ‘fast fashions’ can be bad for the planet | Kathiann Kowalski | December 10, 2020 | Science News For StudentsOil markets were also in tumult Friday as rising coronavirus cases across the globe threatened to spark more movement restrictions and keep people in their homes, threatening demand for gas and other petroleum products.
U.S. stocks turn lower as traders await decision in presidential race | Taylor Telford | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostThe pandemic has crushed demand for gasoline and other petroleum products, as Americans do less driving and cut back on commercial travel.
Dow slides more than 900 points as rising coronavirus counts threaten fragile recovery | Hamza Shaban | October 28, 2020 | Washington PostGuo at the University of Tennessee points out that the new material doesn’t use petroleum products.
‘Frozen smoke’ could protect electronics from annoying static | Sid Perkins | October 28, 2020 | Science News For Students
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, primarily produces petroleum.
The petroleum industry has depicted fracking as a few antiseptic drills dug on peaceful farmland.
Due to its centrality, the Salt Lake field plays an outsized role in terms of strange petroleum events in the city.
Michael keeps his cool until he sees piles of petroleum Coke on the banks of the Athabasca.
petroleum from up here is often called the dirtiest oil in the world.
The model was first filled with inflammable materials such as shavings and large blocks of wood, over which petroleum was poured.
Asbestos | Robert H. JonesEven the small towns and some villages are lighted by electricity, having gone straight from petroleum to electric light.
Spanish Life in Town and Country | L. Higgin and Eugne E. StreetNow you see, Wes, the late Caesars were pretty good consumers of everything but petroleum, we having that edge on them.
The Great Potlatch Riots | Allen Kim LangHe plugged one end of a bit of rain-water spout and let it down with a string, and drew it up filled with petroleum.
The Pennsylvania oil region and the Russian oil region are the two greatest centers of petroleum in the world.
British Dictionary definitions for petroleum
/ (pəˈtrəʊlɪəm) /
a dark-coloured thick flammable crude oil occurring in sedimentary rocks around the Persian Gulf, in parts of North and South America, and below the North Sea, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. Fractional distillation separates the crude oil into petrol, paraffin, diesel oil, lubricating oil, etc. Fuel oil, paraffin wax, asphalt, and carbon black are extracted from the residue
Origin of petroleum
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for petroleum
[ pə-trō′lē-əm ]
A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the Earth's surface. It can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, paraffin wax, asphalt, and fuel and lubricating oils, and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products. It is believed to originate from the accumulated remains of fossil plants and animals, especially in shallow marine environments.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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