as in paintings
a picture created with oil paint
that artist is known to have created only oils and charcoal sketches
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of oils
Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Biologique Recherche uses walnut extract, plant oils, and shea butter for those restorative and the barrier build-back.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
The man who admits to snorting cocaine off of toilet seats is suddenly concerned about seed oils.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Plates like roasted bone marrow with beef tartare, lobster steam buns, and Dimock butter cake with popcorn comprise the menu, which is notably devoid of any seed oils.
—Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 8 May 2026
Other ingredients vary by product, but include jojoba, blue tansy and rose hip oils.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
Because natural oils don't travel easily down the spiral shape of a curl, curly hair is more prone to frizz, split ends, and breakage than straight hair—which means the cleansing step matters more than most people realize.
—Aimee Simeon, Glamour, 7 May 2026
It’s designed to retain all of the natural oils that’ll help protect it against water and humidity.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Many of them emit odors or contain oils that mosquitoes dislike.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 6 May 2026
Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
Bubble Up has a more natural taste than many of its competitors because it’s made with pure cane sugar and lemon and lime oils, rather than high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, The Tasting Table reported.
—Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Biologique Recherche uses walnut extract, plant oils, and shea butter for those restorative and the barrier build-back.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
The man who admits to snorting cocaine off of toilet seats is suddenly concerned about seed oils.
—Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Plates like roasted bone marrow with beef tartare, lobster steam buns, and Dimock butter cake with popcorn comprise the menu, which is notably devoid of any seed oils.
—Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 8 May 2026
Other ingredients vary by product, but include jojoba, blue tansy and rose hip oils.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
Because natural oils don't travel easily down the spiral shape of a curl, curly hair is more prone to frizz, split ends, and breakage than straight hair—which means the cleansing step matters more than most people realize.
—Aimee Simeon, Glamour, 7 May 2026
It’s designed to retain all of the natural oils that’ll help protect it against water and humidity.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 6 May 2026
Many of them emit odors or contain oils that mosquitoes dislike.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 6 May 2026
Verb
Ramakrishnan typically oils her hair twice a week before washing it.
—Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oils
Noun
-
Several of the paintings have seldom, if ever, been on display to the public, as Frankenthaler kept many of her favorites for herself at home or in storage, even up until her death in 2011, at age 83.—
Grace Edquist,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
-
Junkanoo revelry is dedicated to the dead, and here Munroe commemorates Beadle through a series of paintings depicting a memorial procession based on photographs by the Bahamian photographer Jackson Petit, as well as through Beadle’s material legacy.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
View this post on Instagram Access greases the gears of the entire apparatus by creating its own positive feedback loop, like an ouroboros of exclusivity.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
No eyeball-grabbing videos, no partisan commentary or agenda, and none of the edge or snark that greases the gears of the perpetual-political-outrage machine.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The curators Christine Riding and Lucy Bamford have brought together ten canvases that were originally shown in London between 1765 and 1773—the pieces thanks to which, during his mid-thirties, the North Midlands artist first secured a national reputation.—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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While some canvases feature just fencing and textile patterns, others incorporate hands and figures, sometimes in vulnerable moments.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oils. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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