kerosene

noun

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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

Examples of kerosene in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Small solar panels that charge lights and mobile phones have become cheap enough for some poor households to replace their kerosene lanterns. — Seth Borenstein, Anchorage Daily News, "Go forth and spend: Call for action closes US-hosted climate summit," 23 Apr. 2021 Small solar panels that charge lights and mobile phones have become cheap enough for some poor households to replace their kerosene lanterns. — Ellen Knickmeyer, Star Tribune, "Go forth and spend: Call for action closes US climate summit," 23 Apr. 2021 At night, Knott and her colleagues would gather around candles and kerosene lamps. — Wudan Yan, The Atlantic, "The Pandemic Is Undoing Field Researchers’ Oldest Assumption," 7 Apr. 2021 They were furnished with a can of kerosene oil and matches.... — Smithsonian Magazine, "The Burning: The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921," 17 Mar. 2021 Roughly 85% of folks had ditched kerosene lamps by the end of the decade. — Stephen Mcbride, Forbes, "America Is Transforming Before Our Eyes," 9 Mar. 2021 The rocket, which has a kerosene-LOX first stage, is capable of lifting about 8.5 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: SN9 rolls to the launch pad, SLS “wet dress” test ends early," 23 Dec. 2020 This is especially true while burning material that contains carbon, like natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, oil, propane, coal, or wood. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "How to Avoid Carbon Monoxide Poisoning While Warming Your Home," 18 Feb. 2021 Instead, a concept using three 5-meter diameter first-stage cores and clusters of YF-100K engines—uprated versions of the YF-100 kerosene engines used by China's new Long March 5, 6, and 7 launchers—now appears to be integral to China's plans. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: SLS has technical problems, Vector—yes, Vector—is back," 6 Nov. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

1 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Kerosene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kerosene. Accessed 10 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for kerosene

kerosene

noun

English Language Learners Definition of kerosene

chiefly US : a type of oil that is burned as a fuel

See the full definition for kerosene in the English Language Learners Dictionary

kerosene

noun

ker·o·sene | \ ˈker-ə-ˌsēn

Kids Definition of kerosene

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

kerosene

noun

ker·o·sene

variants: also kerosine \ ˈker-ə-ˌsēn

, ˌker-ə-ˈ

, ˈkar- , ˌkar- \

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)