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

The incident, which released flammable hydrocarbons, injured four workers and forced 14 schools into lockdown. —Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026

This chemical reaction occurs on a catalyst surface where hydrogen and carbon atoms link to form hydrocarbon chains of varying lengths. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026

On the oil front, companies should be granted equal rights to invest, rather than privileging business figures linked to the regime, as recent hydrocarbon law changes appear to do. —Juan Pablo Spinetto, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026

Venezuela on Thursday passed reforms to its hydrocarbon law that ease state control of the oil industry and grants private producers more autonomy. —Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 30 Jan. 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

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