oil 1 of 4

oil

2 of 4

verb (1)

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

oils

3 of 4

noun (2)

plural of oil

oils

4 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of oil
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

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

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Cite this Entry

“Oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oil. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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