hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˈhī-drō-ˌkär-bən How to pronounce hydrocarbon (audio)
: an organic compound (such as acetylene or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens

Examples of hydrocarbon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Under the agreement, Ukraine would contribute 50% of future revenue to the joint fund from national assets including minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, natural gas and other extractable materials. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025 Over a longer period, the share of hydrocarbons in the global primary energy mix has hardly budged, from 85 percent in 1990 to about 80 percent today. Daniel Yergin, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 Europe, Middle East and Africa Booking Holdings topped the list of stocks with the most revenue exposure to EMEA at nearly 80%, followed by hydrocarbon exploration company APA Corp. at 59%. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2025 To make plastic, petroleum refineries isolate hydrocarbons and then crack those hydrocarbons into even smaller compounds like ethylene or propylene. Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hydrocarbon

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydrocarbon was in 1826

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hydrocarbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrocarbon. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

hydrocarbon

noun
hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˌhī-drə-ˈkär-bən How to pronounce hydrocarbon (audio)
: a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen

Medical Definition

hydrocarbon

noun
hy·​dro·​car·​bon -ˈkär-bən How to pronounce hydrocarbon (audio)
: an organic compound (as acetylene, benzene, or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens

More from Merriam-Webster on hydrocarbon

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