What does "petrol" mean?

1. (a type of engine or car) a car that uses petrol instead of diesel or electricity. 2. (to fill with fuel) to put fuel into a vehicle.

petrol

n. · v.

US //ˈpɛtɹoʊɫ// UK //pˈɛtɹəl// petrol

1 a type of engine or car (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate British English Informal

a car that uses petrol instead of diesel or electricity.

a vehicle or engine powered by petrol, often used when comparing different fuel types. Usually uncountable when referring to the category.

Example

Is your new car a petrol or a diesel?

Example

With the new environmental regulations, many commuters are trading in their older diesels for modern petrol or hybrid models.
- diesel
- electric
2 to fill with fuel (v.)
C2 Proficiency British English Archaic

to put fuel into a vehicle.

to supply or fill a vehicle with petrol. This transitive use is less common in modern speech than the phrasal verb 'fill up'.

Example

We stopped at the station to petrol the car before the long drive.

Example

The expedition team had to petrol their vehicles at the final outpost before venturing into the unmapped desert regions.
- refuel
- fill up

Origin

Borrowed from French (essence de) pétrole, from Medieval Latin petroleum, from Ancient Greek πετρέλαιον (petrélaion, “oil of the rock”), from πέτρα (pétra, “stone, rock”)+ ἔλαιον (élaion, “olive oil, any oily substance”). Doublet of petroleum.