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

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the petrochemical sector, where the ability to move high-value commodities like oil, natural gas, and other petroleum products efficiently across the country and to the world can make or break a company’s bottom line. —David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025

Gwede Mantashe, South Africa’s minister of mineral and petroleum resources, told reporters Tuesday that other routes are being sought for South African goods. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2025

Newsom has taken plenty of verbal shots at the petroleum industry during his time in office. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 July 2025

In Geneva, negotiators will attempt to break the stalemate between countries that want a strong treaty limiting the total global production of plastic and a few plastic and petroleum producing nations that oppose such a cap. —Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 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