as in painting
a picture created with oil paint
that artist is known to have created only oils and charcoal sketches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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Recent Examples of oil
Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
An oil truck driver reversed into a 44-year-old pedestrian on the Upper East Side, went to check on him, then got back into his rig and drove off, prosecutors said Saturday.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
Iman Balagam, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
And also to oil a narrative first perfected by Fidel Castro and then by Chávez himself – both leaders in the Latin American left.
—Inés Capdevila, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oil
Noun
At the same time, Washington has escalated an aggressive pressure campaign by restricting fuel shipments, warning off foreign suppliers and creating what amounts to a de facto oil blockade that has choked off imports.
—Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
An oil truck driver reversed into a 44-year-old pedestrian on the Upper East Side, went to check on him, then got back into his rig and drove off, prosecutors said Saturday.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
Mohapi adds that oiling a dry scalp works best before washing, not after.
—Iman Balagam, Vogue, 8 Jan. 2026
And also to oil a narrative first perfected by Fidel Castro and then by Chávez himself – both leaders in the Latin American left.
—Inés Capdevila, CNN Money, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oil
Noun
-
Similarly, Aram’s site-specific installation at the 2026 Whitney Biennial—comprising a new paravent, painting, collage, and sculpture, all against walls brushed pink and green by the artist himself—echoes this critique within a curatorial context that is national in scope.—
Julian Stern,
Artforum,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The bright, cheery room, decorated with technicolor serapes and paintings of idyllic tropical-village scenes, felt almost like a taunt.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Scott used comedy to grease the narrative wheels; here, the laughs tend to gum up the works.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
New Yorker,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In reality, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, Tal greased an employee from Griffin’s office to get the boss’s number, then called him incessantly.—
James D. Walsh,
Curbed,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Add it to the growing canvases of her daughters playing at the sea, climbing the rocks, placing their tiny hands in the crevices of the walls surrounding the house.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The postindustrial landscape of his native Bristol was his canvas and gallery.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oil. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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