kerosene

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noun ker·o·sene \ˈker-ə-ˌsēn, ˌker-ə-ˈsēn\

variants: or less commonly

kerosine

Definition of kerosene

: a flammable hydrocarbon oil usually obtained by distillation of petroleum and used as a fuel, solvent, and thinner

See kerosene defined for English-language learners

See kerosene defined for kids

Recent Examples of kerosene from the Web

Mohammad reported the companies sold a combined 833,495 gallons of kerosene to obtain fuel tax credits on his 2010 tax returns.

— eric heisig, cleveland.com, "North Royalton man who went to prison for shipping cold medicine to make meth faces new tax charges," 8 June 2017
The rocket’s first stage is composed of nine Rutherford engines, which are powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene.

— samantha masunaga, latimes.com, "Rocket Lab's Electron rocket 'made it to space' in the company's first test flight," 24 May 2017
As Engelbrecht and Beckwith explained, Galactic Aztec Heavy is propelled by a mixture of kerosene and liquid oxygen, each held in separate tanks and pressurized by helium that’s in another tank.

— gary warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "SDSU students seek to launch rockets higher and higher," 19 May 2017
A Memphis man died after dousing himself in kerosene on Facebook Live – then sprinting, in flames, into the bar where his ex-girlfriend was working.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump’s chaotic White House once again makes a bad story worse," 16 May 2017
While streaming live on Facebook early Saturday, a Memphis musician doused his body in kerosene before fatally setting himself on fire in what police are calling a suicide.

— gina carey, Fox News, "Man streams suicide by fire on Facebook Live," 16 May 2017
A GoFund Me page set up in support of Moore claims that McLemore approached her in the bar before his livestream and wiped her arm down his chest, already slick with kerosene.

— gina carey, Fox News, "Man streams suicide by fire on Facebook Live," 16 May 2017
CBS affiliate WREG-TV reports the 33-year-old man -- who witnesses identify as Jared McLemore -- doused himself with kerosene around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, in a parking lot located across the street from a bar where his ex-girlfriend works.

— CBS News, "Report: Man dies after streaming suicide attempt on Facebook Live," 15 May 2017
Her boyfriend, Jim Duckworth, was onstage packing his gear when band members began to smell a strong odor of kerosene.

— kristine phillips, chicagotribune.com, "Man set himself on fire on Facebook Live, then ran into Memphis bar to grab ex-girlfriend: witnesses," 15 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kerosene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of kerosene

Greek kēros + English -ene (as in camphene)

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First Known Use: 1854

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KEROSENE Defined for English Language Learners

kerosene

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noun

Definition of kerosene for English Language Learners

: a type of oil that is burned as a fuel

KEROSENE Defined for Kids

kerosene

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noun ker·o·sene \ˈker-ə-ˌsēn\

Definition of kerosene for Students

: a thin oil obtained from petroleum and used as a fuel and solvent

Medical Dictionary

kerosene

noun ker·o·sene

variants: also

kerosine

\ˈker-ə-ˌsēn, ˌker-ə-ˈ, ˈkar-, ˌkar-\play play

Medical Definition of kerosene

: a flammable hydrocarbon oil usually obtained by distillation of petroleum and used for a fuel and as a solvent and thinner (as in insecticide emulsions)