sulfuric acid

American

noun

Chemistry.

a clear, colorless to brownish, dense, oily, corrosive, water-miscible liquid, H 2 SO 4 , usually produced from sulfur dioxide: used chiefly in the manufacture of fertilizers, chemicals, explosives, and dyestuffs and in petroleum refining.

sulfuric acid Scientific

A strong corrosive acid. It combines very easily with water, making it a good drying agent. Sulfuric acid is the most widely used acid in industry. It is used to make detergents, dyes, drugs, explosives, pigments, fertilizers, and many other products. It is also the acid in lead-acid electric batteries. Chemical formula: H ₂ SO ₄ .

Etymology

Origin of sulfuric acid

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

sulfuric acid

Contributing to supply-side issues, China started restricting its exports of sulfuric acid in May, according to the Wall Street Journal.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

Sulfur, which is used to produce sulfuric acid, is a byproduct of the oil-refining process.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

While the Chinese copper producer sells 20% of its sulfuric acid output under a price cap to the fertilizer industry, the remainder is sold across sectors without pricing restrictions, the analyst notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Higher sulfuric acid prices could offset any drag from lower treatment and refining charges on Jiangxi, she notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Like Venus, our stratosphere even now has a substantial mist of tiny sulfuric acid droplets.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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