kerosene

noun

ker·​o·​sene ˈker-ə-ˌsēn  ˌker-ə-ˈsēn 

variants or less commonly kerosine

: 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

Three months later, Moreno-Gama was arrested on accusations of throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s house, then driving to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters with a jug of kerosene and threatening to burn the building down and kill anyone inside. —Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026

Store smelly wood such as cedar or pine and petroleum products, including tar paper, paint, turpentine, kerosene, rubber and charcoal fluid. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 8 May 2026

Essentially, switching from kerosene to SAF can help reduce two sources of global warming—contrails and CO₂—simultaneously. —Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026

Nitrogen Dioxide Nitrogen dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas present in appliances that burn fuel, including gas, kerosene, or wood. —Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Greek kēros + English -ene (as in camphene)

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kerosene

• acridine
• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene

Kids Definition

kerosene

noun

ker·​o·​sene

variants also kerosine

ˈker-ə-ˌsēn 

ker-ə-ˈsēn, 

ˈkar-, 

ˌkar-

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

Medical Definition

kerosene

noun

ker·​o·​sene

variants also kerosine

ˈker-ə-ˌsēn  ˌker-ə-ˈ 

ˈkar-, 

ˌkar-

: 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)