petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl 

-ˌträl

chiefly British

: gasoline

Examples of petrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is the first juicy fruits of Alpine's hydrogen combustion development program, a cutting-edge piece of machinery built from the ground up for optimal hydrogen combustion and a signal to the racing masses that there can be beautiful growling, asphalt-shaking life after petrol. —New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2024

For the average diesel or petrol car, this equates to a social cost of approximately $9 per US gallon. —Nils Rokke, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024

Protesters blame the economic stabilization policies of President Bola Tinubu, which have included removing a heavy subsidy on petrol and devaluing the naira, Nigeria’s currency. —Innocent Eteng, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2024

Items that cost a lot more in Singapore include cars, petrol and utilities like electricity and water. —Kevin Lim, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French pétrole "petroleum, any of various products distilled from petroleum," going back to Old French petteroile, petrole "mineral oil, petroleum," borrowed from Medieval Latin petroleum — more at petroleum

Note: The use of the word in English is apparently owed to a cooperative endeavor by the British distilling and oil refining firm Carless, Capel and Leonard and the engineer Frederick Richard Simms, who had purchased the rights to Gottlieb Daimler's gasoline-powered engine. Though an attempt to register petrol as a trademark was unsuccessful, Carless, Capel and Leonard continued to use it as a marketing name. Note that French pétrole (rather than essence de pétrole) is used for distilled petroleum products by Gustave Richard in Les nouveaux moteurs à gaz et à pétrole (Paris, 1892). The now usual French word essence for "gasoline" is shortened from essence de pétrole.

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing petrol

• petrol bomb
• petrol station

Kids Definition

petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl 

-ˌträl

chiefly British

: gasoline