petroleum
noun
pe·tro·leum
pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm 
-ˈtrōl-yəm
: an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes
Examples of petroleum in a Sentence
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Less drilling The North American petroleum market faces more downside risk than the rest of the world because onshore oil production in the U.S. is more sensitive to commodity prices, the SLB CEO said.
—
Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025
New Mexico, for instance, has tapped into its petroleum revenue, Washington state put a new tax on investment profits, and Kentucky is incentivizing parents to become child care workers.
—Dr. Alissa Chen, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2025
California is a petroleum fuel island, lacking pipelines that could bring in supplies from other states.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2025
Kennedy said there was no agreement in place and did not disclose any penalties when asked about repercussions against food companies that decide not to voluntarily remove petroleum food dyes from their products.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petroleum
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Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 29 Apr. 2025
New Mexico, for instance, has tapped into its petroleum revenue, Washington state put a new tax on investment profits, and Kentucky is incentivizing parents to become child care workers.
—Dr. Alissa Chen, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2025
California is a petroleum fuel island, lacking pipelines that could bring in supplies from other states.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2025
Kennedy said there was no agreement in place and did not disclose any penalties when asked about repercussions against food companies that decide not to voluntarily remove petroleum food dyes from their products.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for petroleum
Cite this Entry
“Petroleum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petroleum. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
petroleum
noun
pe·tro·leum
pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm
-ˈtrōl-yəm
: an oily flammable liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, is obtained from wells drilled in the ground, and is the source of gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils, and other products
Medical Definition
petroleum
noun
pe·tro·leum
pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm, -ˈtrōl-yəm
: an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes
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