How to Use oily in a Sentence

oily

adjective
  • The liquid has an oily feel.
  • The salad dressing was very oily.
  • Yes, even if your skin is oily.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Yes, the oily resin can cling to clothes.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
  • Szechuan-style pork with an oily hot sauce is just spicy enough.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 20 June 2019
  • His hair was oily, his skin was rough, and his eyes were puffy.
    — Adam Rasgon, The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2023
  • Well, who likes the feeling of oily skin?
    — Mary Honkus, Glamour, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Smoke covered the city while acid rain and oily rain fell.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Check out our guides to the best primers out there for dry skin to oily skin.
    — Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Ramzy says the former would work well for those with oily skin.
    — Alaina Demopoulos, Allure, 9 Mar. 2022
  • Some cheeses are more earthy, some more oily, some more floral.
    — Ray Isle, Smithsonian, 23 May 2018
  • So was the oily film the off-putting mixture left on my tongue.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
  • Boys with oily hair spit out of windows that let in hot dry air.
    — Sorayya Khan, Longreads, 8 Feb. 2018
  • Whalers once thought this oily liquid was sperm, hence the name sperm whale.
    — Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Heavier creams don’t work well with my oily skin type so this cream is great.
    — Kathleen Hou, The Cut, 30 Jan. 2018
  • They are also known for their thick, oily fur that stays dry in the rain.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Focus on drips of batter and any oily streaks.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Read on to learn more about the best foundations for oily skin.
    — Justine Carreon, Glamour, 20 July 2022
  • What makes a face wash better for oily skin versus dry skin?
    — Sarah Felbin, Allure, 20 May 2026
  • Use cut, oily fish such as shad, herring, or the heads of cod or salmon as bait.
    — Chad Mason, Outdoor Life, 3 June 2026
  • The salt water left an oily sheen on the soil and a swath of dead grass in the yard.
    — Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 6 May 2024
  • And that’s a much more potent thing to fear than some oily monsters.
    — Steven Strom, Ars Technica, 28 June 2018
  • Therefore, those with oily skin will often have the largest pores.
    — Julie Ricevuto, Allure, 29 Oct. 2020
  • Those with oily skin will want to set with powder to avoid excess shine.
    — Kristin Limoges, WWD, 3 July 2024
  • Shallots, garlic, and white wine are the base for the oily sauce.
    — Amanda Favazza, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
  • And maybe a little drunk and sick from all that oily food and crappy wine.
    — Helen Schulman, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025
  • Rub the now-oily, yellow side of the peel all the way around the rim of the wine glass.
    — Al Culliton, Bon Appétit, 26 Dec. 2019
  • The salsa macha is an oily, toasty condiment pasty with peanuts and sesame seeds.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Around the nose and in the center of the forehead can give the look of oily skin.
    — Emerald Elitou, Essence, 3 June 2022
  • That's how meibum, the oily substance that keeps the eyes lubed up, is released.
    — Jenny McCoy, Health.com, 27 Oct. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oily.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: