petroleum
noun
pe·tro·leum
pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm 
-ˈtrōl-yəm
: an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes
Examples of petroleum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
America’s neighbor to the north also produces a lot of petroleum and natural gas.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2025
Canada is the source of 52% of U.S. gross total petroleum, including 60% of its gross crude oil imports, according to EIA.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025
Unlike a lot of Canadian petroleum products that arrive here via pipeline and is difficult to divert to another market, Mexican oil and gasoline arrives primarily via ship, so it can easily be sold elsewhere.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025
Refineries purchase crude oil to produce gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for petroleum 
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.
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2025
Canada is the source of 52% of U.S. gross total petroleum, including 60% of its gross crude oil imports, according to EIA.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025
Unlike a lot of Canadian petroleum products that arrive here via pipeline and is difficult to divert to another market, Mexican oil and gasoline arrives primarily via ship, so it can easily be sold elsewhere.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025
Refineries purchase crude oil to produce gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for petroleum
Dictionary Entries Near petroleum
Cite this Entry
“Petroleum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petroleum. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
petroleum
noun
pe·tro·leum
pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm
-ˈtrōl-yəm
: an oily flammable liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, is obtained from wells drilled in the ground, and is the source of gasoline, kerosene, fuel oils, and other products
Medical Definition
petroleum
noun
pe·tro·leum
pə-ˈtrō-lē-əm, -ˈtrōl-yəm
: an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share