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• petrol
  petrol

  noun

  gasoline.
• petrol.
  petrol.

  abbreviation

  petrology.

petrol

¹ American  

[pe-truhl] / ˈpɛ trəl /

noun

1. British. gasoline.

2. Archaic. petroleum.

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verb (used with object)

petrolled, petrolling

1. British. to clean with gasoline.

petrol. ² American  

abbreviation

1. petrology.

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petrol. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. petrology

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petrol ² British  

/ ˈpɛtrəl /

noun

1. US and Canadian name: gasoline. any one of various volatile flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, mainly hexane, heptane, and octane, obtained from petroleum and used as a solvent and a fuel for internal-combustion engines. Usually petrol also contains additives such as antiknock compounds and corrosion inhibitors

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Etymology

Origin of petrol

1590–1600; < Middle French petrole < Medieval Latin petroleum petroleum

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Explanation

Petrol is a fuel derived from petroleum. If you are American, you probably call petrol "gas." When the price of petrol goes up, lots of people complain, because petrol is gasoline. Petrol is the fuel used in many types of vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, motorboats, and airplanes. Petrol is derived from petroleum, and besides smelling bad, it's very flammable. If you light a match near petrol, there will be an explosion. Since petrol comes from petroleum, petrol is a fossil fuel.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petrol petrol. petrolling

Rising inflation, driven primarily by the cost of petrol and diesel, will push policymakers into an interest rate hike, analysts suggest.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

They were looking at their grocery bills, electricity bills and the price at the petrol pump.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Speaking to AFP from his car outside a petrol station, civil servant Yasser Mohammed said: "I've been here since six in the morning."

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

"I used to have a car that ran on petrol but lately fuel quality has been low and prices have gone up," said Kanaan, 42, who had barely been covering his operating costs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

When Queenie turned up unexpectedly during a break in the Manchester Blitz, and they spent three wet and stormy days burning black market petrol up and down the Pennines on Maddie’s Silent Superb.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

"We were stuck with no petrol. So we couldn't move. We had to cancel all our plans," 43-year-old tourist Neagu told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

“We are appealing to the government to intervene in the ever-increasing price of food and petrol. We cannot even afford to pay for transport.”

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2022

"I don't know anyone in my circle of poor university grads that has been able to afford a full tank of petrol. I don't know anyone who doesn't regularly skip meals," says Ms Anwar.

From BBC ● May 1, 2022

"Of course it's a huge problem to get ambulances in a war zone, a huge problem to get petrol. The ambulances are often partly falling apart and we have to keep finding solutions," he said.

From Reuters ● Apr. 4, 2022

“She calls gasoline petrol. A motorcycle is a motorbike and a truck, a lorry.”

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

There was Mrs. Spankham with a superb model of Westminster Abbey—its petrolling had been the greatest stroke in convincing the voters of the pure motives of the feminists.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, March 11, 1914 by Sir Owen Seaman

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