kerosene

noun

variants or less commonly kerosine
: a flammable hydrocarbon oil usually obtained by distillation of petroleum and used as a fuel, solvent, and thinner

Examples of kerosene in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From crude oil, refiners first extract gasoline, kerosene and oil, and what remains at the bottom becomes the asphalt. Mansour Solaimanian, The Conversation, 10 May 2024 Nirvana went to Albini for a taste of his sonic kerosene on In Utero — a highlight of both their careers. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2024 The company is developing the Antares 330 rocket, which will have a new first stage with seven Firefly Miranda engines using kerosene and liquid oxygen. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 20 Dec. 2023 The fuel also contained 12% synthetic aromatic kerosene that was made from waste corn. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2023 If using kerosene heaters, never refuel inside the home, and provide adequate ventilation. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 The risk increases during the winter because carbon monoxide is found in fumes from heating devices like furnaces, kerosene heaters and portable generators. Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 19 Jan. 2024 The Miranda engine burns kerosene and liquid oxygen but is significantly more powerful than the Reaver engine that Firefly uses on its smaller Alpha rocket. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 1 Dec. 2023 Enlarge / SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket heads downrange Friday night, with its nine Merlin engines burning kerosene and liquid oxygen. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kerosene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek kēros + English -ene (as in camphene)

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kerosene was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near kerosene

Cite this Entry

“Kerosene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kerosene. Accessed 23 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

kerosene

noun
ker·​o·​sene
variants also kerosine
ˈker-ə-ˌsēn How to pronounce kerosene (audio)
ker-ə-ˈsēn,
ˈkar-,
ˌkar-
: a thin oil obtained from petroleum and used as a fuel and solvent

Medical Definition

kerosene

noun
ker·​o·​sene
variants also kerosine
: a flammable hydrocarbon oil usually obtained by distillation of petroleum and used for a fuel and as a solvent and thinner (as in insecticide emulsions)

More from Merriam-Webster on kerosene

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