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oil

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verb

as in to grease
to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction if you oil the machinery on a regular basis, it will operate more efficiently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oil
Noun
Estonia said that a Russian military jet violated its airspace on May 13 after the Estonian Navy tried to stop the tanker Jaguar, believed to be in Moscow's shadow fleet that circumvents oil sanctions. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025 Trained initially as an economist, Salgado spent much of his long career documenting the effects of heavy industry on the environment, from a monograph on gold mining in his native Brazil to a book on oil fires in Kuwait. Max Saltman, CNN Money, 23 May 2025
Verb
Her glowing and freshly oiled skin effortlessly catches the light, playing off her lacquered purple lips and vivid green eyelids for a look that’s equal parts daring and divine. Mecca Pryor, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025 To oil this customer engagement machine, Amazon introduced Prime. Christian Stadler, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oil
Noun
  • Viewers who know af Klint for her iconic mystical paintings will discover a different dimension of her practice.
    Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
  • The burglar then removed the painting and fled from the home — and remains on the run, cops said Wednesday.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • Catch up quick: The Bourbon Street hotel started greasing its poles 55 years ago to keep overeager Mardi Gras revelers from climbing up onto its balconies.
    Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 3 Mar. 2025
  • Meanwhile, lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 May 2025
Noun
  • Later Piero Della Francesco, worked on canvas drawing a classical space, in which standing figures seem to hover.
    Vogue, Vogue, 22 May 2025
  • That’s partially due to outside social forces that demand their love be kept private, behind closed doors or the canvases of a tent, but Hermanus and Shattuck aren’t interested in piling on that context, which has already been explored in so many other movies more directly.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oil. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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