petrol

noun

pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl How to pronounce petrol (audio)
-ˌträl
chiefly British
: gasoline

Examples of petrol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Items that cost a lot more in Singapore include cars, petrol and utilities like electricity and water. —Kevin Lim, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2024 Anwar could make more tough decisions to trim Malaysia’s fiscal deficit, such as removing subsidies for petrol and sugar, and barring education subsidies from going to high earners. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 17 Oct. 2024 On its own, the petrol engine produces 100 bhp while the electric motor gives 134 bhp, together this makes 191 bhp rather than 234 bhp. —Matthew MacConnell, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 The petrol tanker exploded after the driver lost control in the town of Majiya, in northwestern Nigeria, late on Tuesday, Shi'isu Adam, a spokesperson for the Jigawa regional police, told reporters on Wednesday. —James Bwala, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for petrol 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French pétrole "petroleum, any of various products distilled from petroleum," going back to Old French petteroile, petrole "mineral oil, petroleum," borrowed from Medieval Latin petroleum — more at petroleum

Note: The use of the word in English is apparently owed to a cooperative endeavor by the British distilling and oil refining firm Carless, Capel and Leonard and the engineer Frederick Richard Simms, who had purchased the rights to Gottlieb Daimler's gasoline-powered engine. Though an attempt to register petrol as a trademark was unsuccessful, Carless, Capel and Leonard continued to use it as a marketing name. Note that French pétrole (rather than essence de pétrole) is used for distilled petroleum products by Gustave Richard in Les nouveaux moteurs à gaz et à pétrole (Paris, 1892). The now usual French word essence for "gasoline" is shortened from essence de pétrole.

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petrol was in 1895

Phrases Containing petrol

Dictionary Entries Near petrol

Petroica

petrol

petrolage

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Petrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrol. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

petrol

noun
pet·​rol ˈpe-trəl How to pronounce petrol (audio)
-ˌträl
chiefly British
: gasoline

More from Merriam-Webster on petrol

Nglish: Translation of petrol for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of petrol for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about petrol

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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