What does gasoline mean?
Gasoline is a light, volatile, flammable fuel made from petroleum and used primarily in cars and other machines with spark-ignition engines. Its mixtures contain numerous hydrocarbons, which burn rapidly and provide the mechanical power that moves an engine. In North American English, gasoline is the standard everyday term, while petrol is more usual in British English and many other varieties. The word is also associated with fuel shortages, price changes, pollution, and the growth of the automobile, making it both a practical household word and a symbol of modern mobility. Although gasoline is often used loosely to mean motor fuel, it is distinct from fuels such as diesel, kerosene, and ethanol blends. As a verb, “to gasoline” can mean to refuel a vehicle, though this use is informal and relatively uncommon compared with the ordinary noun.
A volatile, flammable mixture of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum and used as fuel in spark-ignition engines.
"The station was out of gasoline during the storm."
Standard in North American English; petrol is the usual British English equivalent.
To supply a vehicle or engine with gasoline; to refuel with gasoline.
"We gasolineed the motorcycle before the trip."
Informal and chiefly North American.
The plural is grammatically correct but uncommon because gasoline is usually treated as a mass noun.
"The company developed safer formulations for different types of gasolines."
Gasoline is a linguistic hybrid: its name joins the everyday word “gas” with the chemical suffix “-ine,” reflecting the rise of industrial fuel chemistry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gasoline come from?
Gasoline is an English coinage formed in the nineteenth century from “gas” together with the chemical-looking endings “-ol” and “-ine.” Its development followed the increasing use of petroleum as a source of illuminating oil and, later, as fuel for internal-combustion engines. “Gas” itself comes through Latin from Greek khaos, originally meaning an empty space or void, before being adopted into modern scientific language for substances in a gaseous state.
Related word forms
How gasoline is actually used
The noun is standard in everyday, commercial, and technical contexts. The verb use is informal and less common than the noun.
Easily confused with gasoline
In British usage, petrol names the same fuel that is called gasoline in North American English, rather than a different substance.