How to Use petroleum in a Sentence

petroleum

noun
Definition of petroleumnext
  • The price of steel, used in bridges, has risen the most, but so have the prices of dirt, gravel and asphalt, which is petroleum-based.
    — John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 30 June 2022
  • The shale boom transformed the U.S. from a net importer to a net exporter of petroleum and gas.
    — Christopher M. Matthews, WSJ, 30 July 2022
  • This laundry stick looks like a bar of soap and is free of petroleum, phosphates, parabens, and dyes.
    — Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 June 2023
  • The type of plastic used also affects the amount of petroleum used.
    — Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023
  • This is the third time Biden has turned to the strategic petroleum reserve in a little over four months.
    — David Koenig and Cathy Bussewitz, Chron, 31 Mar. 2022
  • The petroleum business is an odd one, with strange cycles of boom and bust.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • More than half of what the U.S. buys from Russia are petroleum crude and oil products.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2022
  • The Navy hasn’t determined how the petroleum got in the water.
    — NBC News, 8 Mar. 2022
  • This would be the third time Biden has had to tap into the strategic petroleum reserve.
    — Justin Gomez, ABC News, 31 Mar. 2022
  • It’s made from petroleum and was approved for foods in 1907.
    — Anna Halkidis, Parents, 15 Jan. 2025
  • The Navy last week said a water sample from one of its wells showed the presence of petroleum products.
    — CBS News, 6 Dec. 2021
  • Traders figure that there is enough petroleum on hand around the world to deal with any supply problems.
    — Stanley Reed, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2024
  • Polypropylene is a type of plastic that comes from petroleum, which may lead to some concerns about its safety in the home.
    — Alida Nugent, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Russia would have less leverage over the rest of the world, and the White House wouldn't have to go hat in hand to monarchies whose rule is propped up by their petroleum reserves.
    — Joel Mathis, The Week, 11 Mar. 2022
  • Venezuela, once a major exporter to the United States, has the world’s largest petroleum reserves.
    — New York Times, 5 June 2022
  • Most candles sold in the United States are made from paraffin wax, which is a byproduct of petroleum.
    — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 5 Oct. 2023
  • But part of the answer is to be able to create petroleum without adding CO2 to the environment.
    — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Still, no one can blame Dunn for the current petroleum shortage.
    — Christopher Helman, Forbes, 18 Aug. 2022
  • In the 1870s, petroleum began to replace whale oil as a fuel.
    — Ryan Jones, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2022
  • The Navy hasn’t determined how petroleum got in the water.
    — Lolita C. Baldor, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Mar. 2022
  • The oil price shock also will drive up the cost of jet fuel, transportation and the countless products made from petroleum.
    — Matt Egan, CNN, 3 Mar. 2022
  • It was being used by the petroleum giant BP to frack for fossil fuels.
    — Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
  • Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com, attributes some of the price hikes in the past year to a simple lack of demand a year ago, which drove prices down.
    — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 17 Nov. 2021
  • His current rank is as a sergeant first class and his job is a petroleum supply specialist.
    — Luis Martinez, ABC News, 26 Oct. 2023
  • The timing of the closures, a year after the oil discovery, raised hopes that the petroleum industry might somehow fill the void.
    — Gaiutra Bahadur Keisha Scarville, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
  • Yet, the artificial color, which is derived from petroleum, is still used to give foods and medicines a bright red hue.
    — Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Navy officials said the source of the petroleum has been identified as a Nov. 20 jet fuel spill.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2021
  • Coal-tar hair dyes are derived from petroleum and are no longer widely available on the market.
    — Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025
  • Shapiro said the tanker was carrying some kind of petroleum product.
    — Julianne McShane, NBC News, 12 June 2023
  • Alaska and Norway have such funds that receive money from sales of petroleum.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 16 Feb. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petroleum.' 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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