kerosene

IPA/ˈkerəsiːn/
KK[kˈɛrəsˌin]IPA/ˈkerəsiːn/

kerosene — noun

1. a thin, clear oil that catches fire easily; it comes from petroleum or coal and

1.nounB2
Definition

a thin, clear oil that catches fire easily; it comes from petroleum or coal and people burn it in jet engines, lamps, stoves, and heaters, or mix it with paint and grease to dissolve them

Example

Devika filled the camp stove with kerosene before lighting it to cook dinner.

fill + with kerosene (verb + preposition collocation)

The airport stores large tanks of kerosene for refueling planes between flights.

kerosene as jet fuel (common context)

Common collocations
  • burn kerosene
  • fill with kerosene
  • kerosene tank
  • kerosene can
  • smell of kerosene
  • kerosene lamp
  • kerosene heater
  • kerosene stove
  • kerosene for heating
  • kerosene for lighting
Synonyms
  • paraffin

    the standard British term for kerosene used in heaters and lamps

  • fuel oil

    a broader category that includes kerosene and other petroleum-based fuels

  • lamp oil

    refined kerosene sold specifically for oil lamps

Usage Note

Kerosene is uncountable — do not use it with the indefinite article 'a' or make it plural. In British English, the word paraffin is the common term for kerosene when it is burned in home heaters, lamps, or stoves, though 'kerosene' remains standard for aviation fuel in both dialects. Whether powering a jet engine or lighting a household lamp, the substance is the same fuel.

Common Mistakes

I need a kerosene for the lamp.
I need some kerosene for the lamp.
kerosene is an uncountable noun and does not take 'a'.
These kerosenes have different prices.
These types of kerosene have different prices.
kerosene has no plural form.
I lit the kerosene.
I lit the kerosene lamp.
you light the device that burns kerosene, not the fuel itself.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Kerosene, paraffin, petroleum, diesel, and fuel oil are all hydrocarbon-based substances, but they differ in refinement and use. Kerosene is a refined middle-distillate oil used mainly in jet engines, lamps, and heaters. Paraffin is the British name for exactly the same substance when burned in homes. Petroleum (or crude oil) is the unrefined raw material pumped from the ground — it is thick, dark, and not directly usable as fuel. Diesel is another petroleum distillate, heavier than kerosene, designed for compression-ignition engines in trucks and cars. Fuel oil is a broad category covering any petroleum product burned to produce heat, including kerosene, diesel, and heavier oils used in industrial furnaces. For example, a family in India might cook on a kerosene stove, while a truck driver in Germany fills up with diesel, and a refinery ships crude petroleum by tanker.

paraffinpetroleum ↗diesel ↗fuel oil ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • run on kerosene
  • powered by kerosene
  • a gallon of kerosene
  • kerosene for heating
  • kerosene for lighting

Prepositions

  • with kerosene
  • of kerosene

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Kerosene was coined in the 1850s from the Greek word kērós, meaning 'wax', because the early manufacturing process used oil distilled from coal (cannel coal) which has a waxy appearance. The '-ene' suffix was added to make it sound like a chemical substance. The invention of kerosene lamps in the mid-19th century made the fuel widely popular as a cheaper alternative to whale oil for lighting.

First known use

1854

1854, in the meaning defined above