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

Recent Examples on the Web

Patrick De Haan, lead petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, added that refineries typically keep a few days' worth of crude oil in reserve, which could buffer the immediate impact. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

Canada is by far the biggest source of U.S. petroleum imports, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Valued at $645 billion in 2024 imports, these include crude oil, petroleum products and other energy imports, pharmaceuticals, uranium, titanium, lumber and semiconductors and copper. —David Lawder, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025

The punishments would include a 500% tariff on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas or uranium, according to a draft of the bill seen by Bloomberg News. —Arkansas Online, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "mineral oil," borrowed from Medieval Latin, "mineral oil, crude oil," from Latin petra "rock" (borrowed from Greek pétra) + oleum "oil" — more at petro-, oil entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing petroleum

• liquefied petroleum gas
• petroleum jelly

Rhymes for petroleum

• folium
• lolium
• oleum
• scholium
• linoleum
• trifolium
• tetrazolium

Kids 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