From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishoiloil1 /ɔɪl/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 1 natural substance under the ground [uncountable]TPGTI the thick dark liquid from under the ground from which petrol is produced → crude a rise in the price of oil the importance of protecting our oil supplies an oil refinery (=factory where oil is made purer)2 fuel [uncountable]TPGTI a smooth thick liquid that is used to make machines run easily or is burned to produce heat Check the oil level in your car every week. The heating system runs on oil.3 
liquid from plants [countable, uncountable]DFCDCB a smooth thick liquid made from plants or some animals, used especially in cooking or for making beauty products cooking oilolive/vegetable/sunflower etc oil coconut oil shampoo Fish oils are supposed to help relieve arthritis. → castor oil, cod-liver oil, linseed oil4 → oils → burn the midnight oil at burn1(20), → pour oil on troubled waters at pour(8)COLLOCATIONSverbsdiscover/find oilOil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938.How does a company go about finding oil and getting it from the ground?hit/strike oil (=to find oil when you are digging for it)The engineers drilled down a few hundred metres until they hit oil.The Ohio Oil Company struck oil on May 3rd. drill for oilPlans to drill for oil off the New South Wales coast have recently been revived.produce oil (=to have natural areas of oil, and take it out of the ground)The US does not produce enough oil to meet its own needs.extract oil formal (=to take oil out of an area)the difficult process of extracting the oiladjectivescrude oil (=oil in its natural state)the price of crude oilrefined oil (=oil that has been treated by an industrial process)They had exported refined oil.offshore oil (=found under the sea, not far from the coast)The company has the technical capabilities to produce offshore oil.heavy/light oil2,000 barrels of heavy oil are produced a day.The oil corporation announced the discovery of another field of light oil.oil + NOUNoil pricesThe increase in oil prices has prompted warnings of a global recession.the oil industryHe works in in the oil industry.an oil companyYPF was the state oil company in Argentina.an oil producer (=a country which produces oil)The Soviet Union is the world's largest oil producer.an oil refinery (=a place where oil is treated by an industrial process)an oil refinery in Perthoil productiona fall in US oil productionan oil spill (=situation in which oil comes out of a ship or other container into the sea)a terrible oil spill near the Shetland Islandsan oil crisis (=situation in which there is not enough oil, and the price of oil is very high)The world is facing an oil crisis.an oil rig (=structure on land or in the sea with equipment for getting oil out of the ground)an oil rig in the North Sea
liquid from plants [countable, uncountable]DFCDCB a smooth thick liquid made from plants or some animals, used especially in cooking or for making beauty products cooking oilolive/vegetable/sunflower etc oil coconut oil shampoo Fish oils are supposed to help relieve arthritis. → castor oil, cod-liver oil, linseed oil4 → oils → burn the midnight oil at burn1(20), → pour oil on troubled waters at pour(8)COLLOCATIONSverbsdiscover/find oilOil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938.How does a company go about finding oil and getting it from the ground?hit/strike oil (=to find oil when you are digging for it)The engineers drilled down a few hundred metres until they hit oil.The Ohio Oil Company struck oil on May 3rd. drill for oilPlans to drill for oil off the New South Wales coast have recently been revived.produce oil (=to have natural areas of oil, and take it out of the ground)The US does not produce enough oil to meet its own needs.extract oil formal (=to take oil out of an area)the difficult process of extracting the oiladjectivescrude oil (=oil in its natural state)the price of crude oilrefined oil (=oil that has been treated by an industrial process)They had exported refined oil.offshore oil (=found under the sea, not far from the coast)The company has the technical capabilities to produce offshore oil.heavy/light oil2,000 barrels of heavy oil are produced a day.The oil corporation announced the discovery of another field of light oil.oil + NOUNoil pricesThe increase in oil prices has prompted warnings of a global recession.the oil industryHe works in in the oil industry.an oil companyYPF was the state oil company in Argentina.an oil producer (=a country which produces oil)The Soviet Union is the world's largest oil producer.an oil refinery (=a place where oil is treated by an industrial process)an oil refinery in Perthoil productiona fall in US oil productionan oil spill (=situation in which oil comes out of a ship or other container into the sea)a terrible oil spill near the Shetland Islandsan oil crisis (=situation in which there is not enough oil, and the price of oil is very high)The world is facing an oil crisis.an oil rig (=structure on land or in the sea with equipment for getting oil out of the ground)an oil rig in the North Sea Examples from the Corpus
oil• Oil prices have dropped significantly since May.• an oil-burning heating system• The hot oil from the vats goes to a copper cooler.• This level of imported oil could thus be displaced by the combined use of domestic gas and coal.• Known oil reserves are enough to last for 40 years, natural gas for over 65 years and coal for 250 years.• No major oil company has agreed yet to blend the product into its gasoline.• olive oil• First fry the chicken in a little peanut oil.• You really should get the oil in your car changed more regularly.• So, the star of the group was the oil division, which saw operating profit from continuing operations up 40%.• Meanwhile world oil demand is rising steadily at around 2 percent a year.oil refinery• When oil was first imported this was the place chosen for an oil refinery.• Some years before lie had resigned from the forces for their sakes and was personnel manager of an oil refinery in Perth.• Her father was an oil refinery worker until she was nine.• The Amerada Hess Corporation oil refinery, with a capacity of 545,000 barrels per day, was also severely damaged.• The new facility abuts tract homes and a defunct oil refinery.• The plant will produce electrical power from oil refinery residues.• By June 29 a further solidarity strike had halted production at the country's only oil refinery.• Like many other West Lothian settlements, the village grew around a shale oil refinery.olive/vegetable/sunflower etc oil• She wants to make her own flavored olive oil with garlic to use for cooking, salad dressings and such.• Salads, most of which are finished with good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, are well executed, too.• Add a little more olive oil if it is not supple enough.• Set on greased cookie sheet or pizza pan and brush on olive oil.• Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a small frying pan.• They discovered the olive oil we had left behind and they took all our olive oil machines.• With the fish in a large casserole, slowly add warm olive oil and garlic from one pot and cream from another.oiloil2 verb [transitive] 1 DTto put oil onto part of a machine or part of something that moves, to help it to move or work more smoothly The bicycle chain needs oiling.2 to put oil or cream onto your skin, for example to protect you from the sun I asked Simon to oil my back for me.3 → oil the wheels→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
oil• Then, the top of the urn gave way and unscrewed as if it had been oiled.• When he had finished he thanked her kindly and oiled himself thoroughly with his jewelled oil-can, to guard against mishap.• I need to oil the hinges on this door.• Credit was the solvent that oiled the wheels of many other retailers' businesses.• Back stage was like the Costa Brava: everyone oiling themselves and each other.• But once he gets his hands all oiled up, he's a whizz at refreshing your players' tired muscles.Origin oil1 (1100-1200) Old French oile, from Latin oleum “olive oil”, from Greek elaia “olive” 