hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˈhī-drō-ˌkär-bən 

: 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

According to the study, longer hydrocarbons were associated with greater dehydration resistance. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026

Italian energy company Eni last month signed development contracts with eight main contractors to develop Cronos, estimated to contain around 3 trillion cubic feet (85 billion cubic meters) of the hydrocarbon. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Nevitt points to an estimate by the car company Edmonds that some gas leaf blowers generate 23 times the carbon dioxide of a Ford F150 Raptor truck and 300 times more non-methane hydrocarbons. — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 5 Nov. 2026

Africa’s biggest oil producer has recorded an uptick in hydrocarbon investments in the past three years. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hydrocarbon

• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
• polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon

Rhymes for hydrocarbon

• fluorocarbon
• carbon
• radiocarbon

Kids Definition

hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˌhī-drə-ˈkär-bən 

: a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen

Medical Definition

hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon -ˈkär-bən 

: an organic compound (as acetylene, benzene, or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens