octane

noun

oc·​tane ˈäk-ˌtān 

1

: any of several isomeric liquid alkanes C₈H₁₈

2

: octane number

Examples of octane in a Sentence

an octane rating of 90

Recent Examples on the Web

On February 17, the catwalk star embraced full-octane glamour while giving a skintight black bra and leggings the private jet treatment in her latest photo dump. —Lara Walsh, InStyle, 17 Feb. 2026

Khaite continues to anchor the week with high octane energy. —Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 17 Feb. 2026

While different car engines are designed to use specific octane levels of fuel, many standard cars are made to take regular 87-octane gas. —Ryley Amond, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026

Storrie is a shoe-in for the high octane, über slick universe that designer Anthony Vaccarello has built at Saint Laurent. —José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Jan. 2026

Common passenger cars like the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry have no use for a higher octane fuel. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026

Very high octane, really good movement on his four-seamer and two-seamer. —CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

What ‘premium’ actually means Premium gasoline is mostly about octane, the number on the yellow pump sticker. —Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Federer-Ruud was low-octane even by the standards of a practice, limiting rallies of any intensity to the final few minutes. —Owen Lewis, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing octane

• high-octane
• octane number

Rhymes for octane

• isooctane

Kids Definition

octane

noun

oc·​tane ˈäk-ˌtān 

1

: any of several liquid chemical compounds containing 8 carbon atoms and 18 hydrogen atoms

2

: a number that is used to measure the antiknock characteristics of gasoline with a higher number indicating a smaller chance of knocking