noun
petrol
PEHT-ruhl
noun
1
A refined liquid fuel made from petroleum, used to power most cars and small engines (called "gasoline" or "gas" in American English).
"We stopped to fill the tank with petrol before the motorway."
"Petrol prices have gone up again this month."
How to Use Petrol
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe fuel used in most cars — called "gas" or "gasoline" in the US.
UK vs US
British English uses "petrol"; American English uses "gas" or "gasoline." A "petrol station" is a "gas station" in the US.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
petrol station
unleaded petrol
petrol tank
petrol price
Word Forms
petroled past tense, petrolled past tense, petrols plural, petrols singular
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We stopped to fill the tank with _____ before the motorway.
Etymology
From French pétrole, ultimately from Greek petra ("rock") plus elaion ("oil") — literally "rock oil."