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
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But his government’s introduction of a short-term petrol price discount this month to counter rising costs driven by the Iran war has reignited the debate as to whether a subsidy would make a more lasting return. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 That’s even more powerful than the Tesla Model S Plaid and not far off the US$330,000 Ferrari 296 GTB, which has a twin-turbo petrol V6 hybrid. — New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026 The subsidies were announced after Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan’s major Islamist political party, threatened to march on Islamabad to pressure the government to cut taxes on petrol and diesel. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Earlier this week, British motoring body the RAC said petrol and diesel prices had hit, since the Iran war began, with both fuels now at prices not seen in four years. — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Petroica
petrol
petrolage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Petrol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petrol. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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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

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about petrol

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