unleaded

American  

[uhn-led-id] / ʌnˈlɛd ɪd /

adjective

1. (of gasoline) containing no tetraethyllead; lead-free.

2. Printing. not separated or spaced with leads, as lines of type or printed matter.

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noun

1. an unleaded product, especially gasoline that contains no tetraethyllead.

unleaded British  

/ ʌnˈlɛdɪd /

adjective

1. (of petrol) containing a reduced amount of tetraethyl lead, in order to reduce environmental pollution

2. not covered or weighted with lead

3. printing (of lines of type, etc) not spaced or separated with leads; solid

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noun

1. petrol containing a reduced amount of tetraethyl lead

Etymology

Origin of unleaded

First recorded in 1605–15; un- ¹ + lead ² + -ed ³

Example Sentences

In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency issued temporary waivers to allow the sale of E15, a gas blend that contains more ethanol and is cheaper than regular unleaded, to help ease rising fuel prices.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

But catalytic devices worked only with unleaded gas, and America’s gas stations were still pumping fuel with hyped names like “super ethyl.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

The average price for regular unleaded gas was $3.84 a gallon on Wednesday, up from $3.79 yesterday, according to AAA.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Prices at the pump hit a nationwide average of $3.80 per gallon for regular unleaded, according to AAA.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

He held that leading is no advantage to clearness, and that it would be better to print the same words on the page in a larger type unleaded.

From The Booklover and His Books by Koopman, Harry Lyman