petroleum

noun

pe·​tro·​leum pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm 

-ˈtrōl-yəm

: an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes

Examples of petroleum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While water used in tunnel boring poses no risk, the environmental risks include groundwater containing petroleum or other contaminants from a gas station or industrial facilities and surface water from the construction site, according to the report. —Stuart Dyos, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Dec. 2025

Unfortunately, many of those substances have still tended to be made of petroleum byproducts, the extraction and refining of which are notoriously environmentally unfriendly. —New Atlas, 15 Dec. 2025

And those loans won’t come if the oil companies don’t have agreements with buyers for the petroleum products that are produced. —Skip York, The Conversation, 9 Dec. 2025

The arrears had stifled investment into the energy sector, and the settlement aims to restore confidence in the market, Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum said. —Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "mineral oil," borrowed from Medieval Latin, "mineral oil, crude oil," from Latin petra "rock" (borrowed from Greek pétra) + oleum "oil" — more at petro-, oil entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing petroleum

• liquefied petroleum gas
• petroleum jelly

Rhymes for petroleum

• folium
• lolium
• oleum
• scholium
• linoleum
• trifolium
• tetrazolium

Kids Definition

petroleum

noun

pe·​tro·​leum pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm 

-ˈtrōl-yəm

: an oily flammable liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, is obtained from wells drilled in the ground, and is the source of gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils, and other products

Medical Definition

petroleum

noun

pe·​tro·​leum pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm, -ˈtrōl-yəm 

: an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes