petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl 

-ˌträl

chiefly British

: gasoline

Examples of petrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Darkly tipsy aromas that include rum, fruit cake, maraschino cherries, slight petrol and carrot cake. —Tom Mullen, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

While international peers including Toyota and Stellantis have also taken a multi-energy approach, BMW has stood apart for its strong offering of EVs with the same design and appearance as their petrol and hybrid counterparts. —Ars Technica, 10 Feb. 2025

In October 2024, the World Bank predicted that leaps in oil production would lead to a fall in petrol and food prices over the next two years, as reported by The Guardian. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

In 2018, widespread protests across the country against record-high petrol and diesel prices led to the closure of businesses and schools in several regions. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 17 Jan. 2025

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