whale oil
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of whale oil
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
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.
Whales were being overhunted, and the price of whale oil rose alarmingly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Some believed this clean-burning fuel might one day replace whale oil as America’s chief indoor lighting source.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
Two whale oil lamps cast a dim light.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2023
Demand for whale oil dropped when petroleum, which had begun to supplant it around the mid-19th century, gained popularity.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2022
And no pleasanter light was ever designed, although old timers say that whale oil makes a nicer flame.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
