petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl 

-ˌträl

chiefly British

: gasoline

Examples of petrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to a government notice, the excise duty for petrol will be reduced to 3 rupees per liter, down from 13 rupees, while diesel will be zero rupees per liter, down from 10 rupees. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026

Spiking petrol pump prices act directly on the hip-pocket nerve and as the world's car manufacturers formed up to face the Thai masses, the mood was remarkably upbeat. —Mike Hanlon march 25, New Atlas, 25 Mar. 2026

The government is clearly mindful of the risk, with the finance minister last week ruling out any form of intervention to control petrol prices. —Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026

Among the Afipsky refinery's products are diesel fuels and natural gasoline that can be used to make jet fuel or petrol. —Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 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