noun
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a distillation product from coal tar boiling in the approximate range 80–170°C and containing aromatic hydrocarbons
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a distillation product from petroleum boiling in the approximate range 100–200°C and containing aliphatic hydrocarbons: used as a solvent and in petrol
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an obsolete name for petroleum
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of naphtha
1565–75; < Latin < Greek náphthas, perhaps < Iranian *nafta, derivative of *nab- to be damp; compare Avestan napta- damp, Persian naft naphtha
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Explanation
Naphtha is a flammable liquid made from distilling petroleum. It looks like gasoline. Naphtha is used to dilute heavy oil to help move it through pipelines, to make high-octane gas, to make lighter fluid, and even to clean metal. This unusual-looking word refers to a dangerous substance: naphtha is a liquid hydrocarbon mixture that is extremely flammable and volatile. If you're around naphtha and you light a match, Kaboom! Naphtha is created by distilling petroleum, and it's a component of gasoline and kerosene. The main purpose of naphtha is as a solvent, which means it's used to dissolve other substances, which is why it can be used to clean metal. Without fossil fuels, we would have no naphtha.
Vocabulary lists containing naphtha
The House on Mango Street
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The Subtle Knife
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The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
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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.
Middle Eastern naphtha shipments fell to 692,000 metric tons in March from 4.06 million tons in February amid regional trade disruptions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
A key raw material for many of these plastic goods is ethylene, which is derived from naphtha, an oil by-product.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
Around 60 percent of the naphtha imported to Asia comes from the Gulf.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
Importers will need to rebuild depleted crude-oil reserves and stockpile more naphtha, jet fuel and other oil-derived products to prepare for another shock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
The voices stopped, a chair scraped across the floor, and the door opened, spilling warm naphtha light out on the damp step.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
