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

So are industrial pollutants, like sulfuric acid and ammonia gases, which collide with other molecules in the atmosphere to form aerosols. —Max G. Levy, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025

For example, life in a sulfuric acid sea would have to use something sturdier in place of sugars, which disintegrate very quickly in sulfuric acid. —Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 20 Feb. 2025

The discovery of ammonia would be exciting if confirmed, Pattle added, because ammonia and sulfuric acid should not be able to coexist without some process — whether volcanic, biological or something not yet considered — driving the production of ammonia itself. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 29 July 2024

It was built to be rugged and resilient enough to survive a descent through the famously punishing atmosphere of Venus, which boasts crushing atmospheric pressure, extreme heat and corrosive sulfuric acid clouds. —Eric MacK, Forbes.com, 7 May 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