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sulphur

1 American  
[suhl-fer] / ˈsʌl fər /

noun

  1. Chiefly British. sulfur.

  2. Also yellow with a greenish tinge; lemon color.

Sulphur 2 American  
[suhl-fer] / ˈsʌl fər /

noun

  1. a city in SW Louisiana.

sulphur British  
/ ˈsʌlfə, sʌlˈfjʊərɪk /

noun

    1. an allotropic nonmetallic element, occurring free in volcanic regions and in combined state in gypsum, pyrite, and galena. The stable yellow rhombic form converts on heating to monoclinic needles. It is used in the production of sulphuric acid, in the vulcanization of rubber, and in fungicides. Symbol: S; atomic no: 16; atomic wt: 32.066; valency: 2, 4, or 6; relative density: 2.07 (rhombic), 1.957 (monoclinic); melting pt: 115.22°C (rhombic), 119.0°C (monoclinic); boiling pt: 444.674°C

    2. ( as modifier )

      sulphur springs
"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

Other Word Forms

  • sulphuric adjective

Etymology

Origin of sulphur

Variant of sulfur

Vocabulary lists containing sulphur

"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," Vocabulary from the historical fiction

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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.

Ord Minnett says Lotus’s supplies of acid and sulphur look secure at present, but fuel is more precarious.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization when a mixture of natural rubber and sulphur accidentally fell onto a hot surface.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

The Middle East is also a major source of aluminium, sulphur, which is used to process metals such as copper, as well as ingredients for fertiliser including urea.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

Activists link the complex and its emissions of particulate matter and sulphur dioxide to an estimated 16,530 premature deaths.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

At evening a dull sulphur light from the fires.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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.