Definition of crude
cruder
;crudest
1 : existing in a natural state and unaltered by cooking or processing crude oil crude ore
3 : marked by the primitive, gross, or elemental or by uncultivated simplicity or vulgarity a crude stereotype crude tools crude jokes
4 : rough or inexpert in plan or execution a crude shelter
5 : lacking a covering, glossing, or concealing element : obvious crude facts
6 : tabulated without being broken down into classes the crude death rate
crudely
adverbcrudeness
nounRead the Latest from M-W
Examples of crude in a Sentence
They built a crude shelter out of branches.
a crude summary of the country's history
She first described the procedure in crude terms, and then went into more detail.
Recent Examples of crude from the Web
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That day, Boland — who some inmates said treated them rudely — used crude language to tell Jenkins to take the toilet paper back to his cell, the inmates said.
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In 2004, some cooperative captives were taken there for time away from the crude single-cell confinement of Camp Delta.
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Iceland is sick of tourists’ bad behavior, from pooping everywhere but porta-potties to, last month, picking out a crude message in moss that will deface a hillside for decades.
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Oil prices wavered early Wednesday, but recovered following a report showing that U.S. crude oil inventories declined sharply last week.
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Crude and gasoline inventories both dropped by more than by 5.5 million barrels last week, the American Petroleum Institute was said to report.
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Then, using a small paintbrush, the researchers applied a smudge of crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon well on the wingtips and tails of half the birds and flew them alongside birds whose feathers were oil-free.
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Around 9 a.m. Thursday morning, President Trump sent a series of crude tweets mocking television host Mika Brzezinski.
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U.S. crude oil exports have been surging—and President Donald Trump is crediting his first five months in office.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of crude
Middle English, from Latin crudus raw, crude, undigested — more at raw
Synonym Discussion of crude
crude
Definition of crude
: a substance in its natural unprocessed state; especially : unrefined petroleum
Recent Examples of crude from the Web
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The tech biz can simultaneously be both more democratic, and more crude.
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Oil is estimated to account for a staggering 96 percent of Venezuela’s hard currency revenue and two and a half years of low prices for crude have decimated its economy.
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CHARGED UP: Several energy sector stocks climbed as the price of crude oil inched higher.
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Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 78 cents to $49.10 per barrel.
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Amid weak crude prices, rampant corruption and general mismanagement, even basic goods are hard to come by.
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Putin’s crude jokes are often written off as a product of his childhood on the streets of St. Petersburg.
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The International Energy Agency has warned that global oil discoveries reached a historic low last year, as cheap crude hit oil companies' exploration budgets and appetites.
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Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, added 28 cents to $48.66 a barrel in London.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of crude
see 1crude
CRUDE Defined for English Language Learners
crude
playDefinition of crude for English Language Learners
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: very simple and basic : made or done in a way that does not show a lot of skill
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: rude in a way that makes people uncomfortable; especially : talking about sexual matters in a rude way
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: very simple and basic in a way that is true but not complete
crude
Definition of crude for English Language Learners
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: oil as it exists in the ground : petroleum that is not yet ready to be used as fuel
CRUDE Defined for Kids
crude
playDefinition of crude for Students
cruder
;crudest
crudely
adverbcrudeness
nounLearn More about crude
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See words that rhyme with crude Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for crude Spanish Central: Translation of crude Nglish: Translation of crude for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of crude for Arabic speakers
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