methanol

noun

meth·​a·​nol ˈme-thə-ˌnȯl 

-ˌnōl

: a light volatile flammable poisonous liquid alcohol CH₃OH used especially as a solvent, antifreeze, or denaturant for ethanol and in the synthesis of other chemicals

Examples of methanol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the students were cleaning, methanol used for the demonstration had accidentally spilled and ignited, resulting in injuries to the students, said district Superintendent Denise Rugani. —Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

The entire strategy of Charbone is onsite transformation of the hydrogen, which can then be used for electricity for data centers, high-purity hydrogen for specialized uses, or it can be [turned] into methanol, for example, for the shipping industry, into SAF for the aviation industry, and so on. —Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

Interestingly, the membrane worked well even when concentrated methanol was used as a fuel. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026

That’s a handy vintage mix of 50% methanol, 40% premium unleaded and 10% toluene. —New Atlas, 8 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for methanol

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol

Kids Definition

methanol

noun

meth·​a·​nol ˈmeth-ə-ˌnȯl 

-ˌnōl

: a light flammable poisonous liquid alcohol that consists of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and is used especially as antifreeze and to dissolve things

Medical Definition

methanol

noun

meth·​a·​nol ˈmeth-ə-ˌnȯl  -ˌnōl 

: a light volatile pungent flammable poisonous liquid alcohol CH₃OH formed in the destructive distillation of wood or made synthetically and used especially as a solvent, antifreeze, or denaturant for ethanol and in the synthesis of other chemicals

called also carbinol, methyl alcohol, wood alcohol