sulfuric acid

noun

: a heavy corrosive oily dibasic strong acid H₂SO₄ that is colorless when pure and is a vigorous oxidizing and dehydrating agent

Is it sulfur or sulphur?: Usage Guide

The spelling sulfur predominates in U.S. technical usage, while both sulfur and sulphur are common in general usage. British usage tends to favor sulphur for all applications. The same pattern is seen in most of the words derived from sulfur.

Examples of sulfuric acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond metallurgy, vanadium pentoxide catalyzes sulfuric acid production, and newer applications include vanadium redox flow batteries for large-scale energy storage. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025

According to Dusterhoft, Ross formed a plan that included internet searches for guns, silencers, sulfuric acid, battery acid, skin-melting acid and a search for news of a man killing his family on Christmas Day. —Miguel Torres, AZCentral.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Initially, the team set out to investigate signs of life on Venus, looking to find a way to collect and evaporate sulfuric acid from Venus' clouds. —Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025

The Honolulu Fire Department later identified the liquid as sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive chemical that causes severe burns to skin, eyes and internal tissue. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sulfuric acid

• antacid
• placid

Kids Definition

sulfuric acid

noun

: a heavy oily strong acid that is colorless when pure and eats away at many solid substances

Medical Definition

sulfuric acid

noun

: a heavy corrosive oily dibasic strong acid H₂SO₄ that is colorless when pure and is a vigorous oxidizing and dehydrating agent see oil of vitriol