oil

oil — noun

1. the dark liquid pumped out of the ground, which can be processed into petrol, di

1.nounB1
Definition

the dark liquid pumped out of the ground, which can be processed into petrol, diesel, and other fuels.

Example

Saudi Arabia exports millions of barrels of oil every day.

barrels of oil — typical unit

Drilling for oil in the North Sea began in the 1970s.

drill for oil — common collocation

Common collocations
  • crude oil
  • the price of oil
  • drill for oil
  • barrel of oil
  • oil reserves
Synonyms
  • petroleum

    more formal and technical; the standard term in industry and chemistry.

  • crude

    industry shorthand for unrefined oil straight from the ground.

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the raw substance that comes out of the earth (often called 'crude' or 'petroleum'); sense 2 names the refined product used as fuel or lubricant. News and business contexts almost always mean this sense when they say 'the price of oil'.

Common Mistakes

Saudi Arabia exports many oils.
Saudi Arabia exports a lot of oil.
in this sense oil is uncountable; do not pluralise it.

2. a smooth liquid made from petroleum that is burned to heat homes or used inside

2.nounB1
Definition

a smooth liquid made from petroleum that is burned to heat homes or used inside engines so that moving parts slide against each other without sticking.

Example

Mum checks the oil in her car every Sunday morning.

check the oil — routine maintenance

The mechanic told Daniel his engine was almost out of oil.

out of oil — quantity expression

Common collocations
  • motor oil
  • engine oil
  • change the oil
  • low on oil
  • heating oil
Synonyms
  • lubricant

    technical term for any substance that reduces friction; broader than oil.

  • fuel oil

    specifically the heavier oil burned for heating, not for engines.

Usage Note

Frequently appears with vehicle and machine vocabulary (engine, gears, chain, motor). When the context is a car or motorbike, 'oil' on its own usually means motor oil, not crude petroleum.

Common Mistakes

My car needs to add oils.
My car needs more oil.
uncountable in this sense; no plural and no article 'an'.

3. a smooth fatty liquid pressed from plants or fish that you put in a pan or on fo

3.nounA2
Definition

a smooth fatty liquid pressed from plants or fish that you put in a pan or on food when cooking.

Example

Pour two spoonfuls of oil into the hot pan before adding the garlic.

imperative recipe pattern

Grandma always uses olive oil instead of butter in her salads.

olive oil — common type

Common collocations
  • olive oil
  • vegetable oil
  • fry in oil
  • a drizzle of oil
  • hot oil
Synonyms
  • cooking oil

    the everyday compound term used at the supermarket and in recipes.

  • fat

    broader category that also covers solid fats like butter and lard.

Usage Note

Both countable (when comparing different kinds: 'olive, sesame, and other oils') and uncountable (when measuring an amount: 'add some oil'). Common types are usually named with the plant: olive oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil.

Common Mistakes

Please pass me the oil for fry the egg.
Please pass me the oil for frying the egg.
after 'for', use the -ing form, not the bare infinitive.

4. a soft, slightly greasy liquid that you rub on your body to make your skin feel

4.noun
Definition

a soft, slightly greasy liquid that you rub on your body to make your skin feel softer or your hair look shiny.

Example

After her bath, Aisha massaged a few drops of coconut oil into her hair.

massage oil into hair

The spa shelf was lined with bottles of lavender and rose oils.

countable plural for varieties

Common collocations
  • body oil
  • hair oil
  • essential oil
  • massage oil
  • rub in oil
Synonyms
  • lotion

    thinner and creamier than oil; usually water-based.

  • balm

    thicker and waxier than oil; often medicated.

Usage Note

Often forms compounds that name the source or purpose: baby oil, bath oil, massage oil, essential oil. Plural 'oils' is common in shops or spas where several scented varieties are listed together.

Common Mistakes

She put the oil to her hair every night.
She put oil on her hair every night.
body and hair products take 'on', not 'to'.

5. a thick, slow-drying paint that artists apply with brushes onto canvas, made by

5.noun
Definition

a thick, slow-drying paint that artists apply with brushes onto canvas, made by mixing colour powder with linseed or other oils.

Example

Vermeer worked almost entirely in oils throughout his career.

in oils — fixed expression for the medium

My art teacher taught us how to mix oils on a wooden palette.

Common collocations
  • work in oils
  • a set of oils
  • mix oils
  • tube of oils
Synonyms
  • oil paint

    the everyday term; means the same thing but is grammatically singular.

  • oil colour

    more technical, used by art-supply shops and instructors.

Antonyms
  • watercolour

    the contrasting water-based medium that dries quickly and stays transparent.

Usage Note

Almost always plural ('oils') when referring to the medium itself, and singular when used as a modifier ('oil paint', 'oil painting'). The phrase 'in oils' is the standard way to describe an artist's chosen medium.

Common Mistakes

She paints with the oil.
She paints in oils.
the medium uses 'in' + plural, not 'with the' + singular.

6. a finished picture that an artist has made using oil paints, usually hung on a w

6.noun
Definition

a finished picture that an artist has made using oil paints, usually hung on a wall.

Example

An enormous oil of the founder hangs in the school's main hall.

an oil — countable singular

The gallery sells oils, prints, and sketches by local artists.

oils contrasted with prints and sketches

Common collocations
  • an oil of
  • a Turner oil
  • hang an oil
  • an early oil
Synonyms
  • oil painting

    the everyday equivalent; safer for learners than the bare noun.

  • canvas

    focuses on the physical support but is often used to mean the painting itself.

Usage Note

Always countable in this sense, and usually appears with 'of' (an oil of the harbour) or 'by' (oils by Turner). Distinguish from sense 5: sense 5 is the paint itself; this sense is the finished artwork.

Common Mistakes

He showed me his oil hanging in the bedroom.
He showed me his oil painting hanging in the bedroom.
using bare 'oil' for the artwork sounds odd outside auction or gallery contexts; learners are safer with 'oil painting'.
Idioms

burn the midnight oil

idiom

to keep working or studying very late into the night.

Hannah burned the midnight oil for a week before her chemistry exam.

The whole team had to burn the midnight oil to finish the report by Friday.

pour oil on troubled water(s)

idiom

to say or do something calming when other people are arguing, so that the situation becomes peaceful again.

Grandma poured oil on troubled waters when the cousins started arguing about the will.

The new manager has a gift for pouring oil on troubled waters between rival teams.

oil — verb

Word family

  • oily
    adjectiveB2
  • oiled
    adjectiveB2
  • oilfield
    nounC1
  • oilskin
    nounC2
  • oiliness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All four words name substances used in cooking, but learners need to keep them apart. 'Oil' is liquid at room temperature and almost always comes from plants (olive, sunflower) or fish — it is the default neutral term in recipes. 'Fat' is the umbrella category that covers anything oily on food, including the white fat trimmed from meat; you can talk about 'low-fat cooking' but rarely 'low-oil cooking'. 'Grease' is the leftover melted fat sitting in the pan after frying — usually unwanted. 'Lard' is solid white fat rendered from pork, traditional in pastry. So a chef might say: 'Heat some oil in the pan, fry the bacon, drain off the grease, and use lard for the pie crust' — four different words, four different roles.

oil ↗fat ↗greaselard

Common collocations

Nouns

  • oil price
  • oil company
  • oil rig
  • oil tanker
  • oil spill
  • oil field
  • oil well

Adverbs

Phrases

  • strike oil
  • run on oil
  • oil and water

Prepositions

  • in oil
  • on oil
  • with oil
  • of oil

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English borrowed 'oil' from Old French 'oile' in the 12th century, which itself came from Latin 'oleum', the Roman word for olive oil. The Latin form was an adaptation of Greek 'elaion', built on 'elaia' meaning olive tree. For most of its history in English, the word referred only to the kind pressed from olives or other plants for food and lamps; the senses that cover petroleum and engine lubricants only became common after large-scale drilling began in the mid-1800s.