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.
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
At some point the mill managers discovered that washing the raw fiber in a mixture of 90 percent water and 10 percent whale oil made raw jute less likely to snag in fast-moving machinery.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2022
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
In the 1870s, petroleum began to replace whale oil as a fuel.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2022
Granddaddy murmured to me, “Do you realize what this means, Calpurnia? The days of whale oil and coal dust are over. The old century is dying, even as we watch. Remember this day.”
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
