as in paintings
a picture created with oil paint
that artist is known to have created only oils and charcoal sketches
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in greases
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
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Recent Examples of oils
Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
That may not be the case, however, for people with more severe depression—particularly those who eat little to no omega-3 rich foods, like fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, and certain plant oils, Bass said.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Jan. 2026
Finalists for the oils and grains categories were not announced Thursday, as the judging for those products is set to occur in the spring.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Her top rules are to swap conditioner for a deep mask every wash, keep hair moisturized at night when dryness can worsen breakage, and use oils or leave-ins to protect your hair’s ends.
—Essence, 29 Jan. 2026
Washing the hair less often can also help preserve natural oils, which can be especially helpful for people with curly or dry hair.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 29 Jan. 2026
The substance contains limonene, which is a natural solvent in citrus oils.
—Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
Even then, smooth and slick with residual fats and oils, the bones slide around too easily to allow people to simply push off with their feet alone.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
Garnish with an orange peel, its oils expressed over the top.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
Corridors are bedecked in vivid wallpaper with oversized flora and animals, real and mythical, and the hotel’s art collection that meets your eye around every corner is a go-for-broke assemblage of everything from old-world oils to ambitious mixed media and 20th-century American photography.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
That may not be the case, however, for people with more severe depression—particularly those who eat little to no omega-3 rich foods, like fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, and certain plant oils, Bass said.
—Sarah Garone, Health, 30 Jan. 2026
Finalists for the oils and grains categories were not announced Thursday, as the judging for those products is set to occur in the spring.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Her top rules are to swap conditioner for a deep mask every wash, keep hair moisturized at night when dryness can worsen breakage, and use oils or leave-ins to protect your hair’s ends.
—Essence, 29 Jan. 2026
Washing the hair less often can also help preserve natural oils, which can be especially helpful for people with curly or dry hair.
—Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 29 Jan. 2026
The substance contains limonene, which is a natural solvent in citrus oils.
—Mallory Carra, The Spruce, 28 Jan. 2026
Even then, smooth and slick with residual fats and oils, the bones slide around too easily to allow people to simply push off with their feet alone.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
Garnish with an orange peel, its oils expressed over the top.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oils
Noun
-
Previously the museum had educators on site, in the galleries, available for questions, but no one ever asked them anything except whether they were allowed to take photos of the paintings, to which the educators only had to point to the sign saying no flash allowed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Visitors can experience Ai-Da's drawings, paintings and architectural concepts.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Judge and Schwarber would be dangerous against any league, but my point is that instead of two leagues with distinct rivalries and stars, baseball is now one big, generic blob, which only greases the skids for Manfred’s geographical realignment dream.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Aug. 2025
-
That greases the skids of trust and softens skepticism.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Rothko needed to fill a room with his canvases; Feldman needed to fill an evening with his music.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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The artist combines finger painting and collaging on the surface of his canvases to evoke vivid colors, bold compositions, patterns and textures.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oils. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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