How to Use phenol in a Sentence

phenol

noun
  • And rice water contains phenols, which may help in treating alopecia areata.
    — Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 1 Jan. 2024
  • Recovery time is brutal, and after a phenol peel, your skin crusts over and peels off over the course of about 10 days.
    — Julie Ricevuto, Allure, 19 Nov. 2020
  • Indeed, researchers already know about microbes that can break down wastes as diverse as coffee grounds and phenol.
    — Bennett Daviss, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
  • The whisky offers up notes of cold smoke overlain with medicinal notes of phenol, iodine and seaweed, along with peaty and earthy notes.
    — Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 17 May 2022
  • Athletes cannot jump into waters that reek of phenol or that are slicked with oil, thick with birds or algal blooms, ribboned with sewage, or studded with garbage.
    — Jessica Leigh Hester, The Atlantic, 31 July 2024
  • Hassell points out that part of the reason for wine's potential to boost health has to do with the natural phenol and polyphenol compounds found in wine.
    — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 29 Feb. 2020
  • Five of the nine worked, giving researchers strains that could digest biphenyl, phenol, napthalene, DBF, and toluene.
    — ArsTechnica, 7 May 2025
  • But, Levin noted, severe headaches are often caused by inflammation — which phenols aren’t prone to causing.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023
  • Yet the list of ingredients (one version contains phenol, a potential irritant) didn’t sit well with her.
    — Kari Molvar, Vogue, 7 June 2018
  • Initially, the company reported a half ton of phenol, which can burn skin and be potentially fatal, was spilled.
    — Time, 22 Mar. 2018
  • The antioxidants in dandelion greens, such as phenols, have been shown to reduce total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
    — Cory Martin, Verywell Health, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Davis says that the more complex part of the barrel aging process is esterification, which is when alcohol and phenol or weak acids bond together.
    — Christopher Null, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2015
  • Three out of the four species can break down phenol, an antifungal compound that conservators used to treat the mummy in 1991.
    — ArsTechnica, 6 June 2026
  • The fungi cause a staining of the wood and then eventual advanced decay, and the tree responds to the fungi by trying to wall it off with tannins and phenols that slow fungal growth.
    — oregonlive, 6 Aug. 2023
  • Researchers at university departments of enology and viticulture are at work pinning down the specifics of how the phenols are absorbed.
    — Constance Casey, Slate Magazine, 18 Oct. 2017
  • Smoke damage is invisible, but volatile phenols in smoke can be absorbed by leaves and grape skins, then released at the time of fermentation, altering the flavor.
    — Constance Casey, Slate Magazine, 18 Oct. 2017
  • These chemicals—such as benzene, toluene, naphthalene, anthracene, and phenol—form the basis for perfumes, explosives, and medicines.
    — Akshat Rathi, Quartz, 23 Oct. 2019
  • In the case of avocados, and many other fruits, polyphenol oxidase changes the chemical structure of phenols when they're exposed to oxygen.
    — Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Reducing cooking times with EVOO will also ensure a high level of phenols.
    — Matt Fuchs, TIME, 15 Aug. 2024
  • The plant also emitted thousands of pounds of other toxic chemicals, including methanol, phenol and ammonia.
    — Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Dark chocolate is touted for its sky-high levels of antioxidants like phenols, natural plant compounds that have been shown to protect your heart and improve memory.
    — Marygrace Taylor, Woman's Day, 24 Nov. 2014
  • According to the distillery, these barrels are toasted for an hour and then capped to trap the heat, allowing phenols to embed in the wood and add a subtle note of smoke that will infuse into the whiskey.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 23 July 2024
  • Though only present in an extremely low concentration, phenol is potent enough that its other credits include paint thinner and herbicide.
    — Lindy Segal, Glamour, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Wildfire smoke carries potentially damaging volatile phenol compounds that can penetrate grape skins.
    — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 18 Jan. 2022
  • There is research to suggest that compounds such as phenols and the vitamin E in oatmeal can have anti-inflammatory effects.
    — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, 15 Jan. 2020
  • While taste is subjective, there is a way to objectively measure peat in whisky, and that’s by measuring the phenol, the chemical that gives a whisky its characteristic smoky notes.
    — Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2019
  • The ppm measure represents phenol concentrations (a group of aromatic organic compounds) in the malted barley.
    — Toby Ann Halamka, JSTOR Daily, 6 Feb. 2025
  • Species that were able to digest phenol, a chemical used to disinfect the Iceman, have grown—despite the below-freezing temperatures that Ötzi is kept in.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 June 2026
  • Now, researchers have discovered that soaking carbon nanotubes in phenol can increase their ability to disperse heat by one-sixth, allowing less nanomaterials to be used for the same job.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 19 Nov. 2019
  • Next to Bruichladdich’s Octomores, Ardbeg has the peatiest whiskies in all of Scotland, as measured by phenol parts per million.
    — Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2019

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

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