petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl 

-ˌträl

chiefly British

: gasoline

Examples of petrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The closed Strait of Hormuz, as well as export bans of refined fuel products from countries like China and South Korea, have cut off petrol supplies in Asia. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

Video footage shows motorists in the southeast African country of Mozambique waiting for hours at fuel stations as shortages grip the country, with lines of traffic stretching for blocks and drivers traveling between multiple stations in search of petrol or diesel. —Yarden Segev, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026

In some products, Britain remains self-sufficient, most notably petrol. —Ian King, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026

One of the bottles contained a substance suspected to be petrol, and was smashed by the brick, police said. —Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French pétrole "petroleum, any of various products distilled from petroleum," going back to Old French petteroile, petrole "mineral oil, petroleum," borrowed from Medieval Latin petroleum — more at petroleum

Note: The use of the word in English is apparently owed to a cooperative endeavor by the British distilling and oil refining firm Carless, Capel and Leonard and the engineer Frederick Richard Simms, who had purchased the rights to Gottlieb Daimler's gasoline-powered engine. Though an attempt to register petrol as a trademark was unsuccessful, Carless, Capel and Leonard continued to use it as a marketing name. Note that French pétrole (rather than essence de pétrole) is used for distilled petroleum products by Gustave Richard in Les nouveaux moteurs à gaz et à pétrole (Paris, 1892). The now usual French word essence for "gasoline" is shortened from essence de pétrole.

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing petrol

• petrol bomb
• petrol station

Kids Definition

petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl 

-ˌträl

chiefly British

: gasoline