oils 1 of 2

Definition of oilsnext
plural of oil

oils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of oil
as in greases
to coat (something) with a slippery substance in order to reduce friction if you oil the machinery on a regular basis, it will operate more efficiently

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oils
Noun
Harsh or foaming cleansers strip away natural oils that mature skin needs to stay plump, and without those oils, fine lines look deeper and more pronounced. Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026 Harsh cleansers strip the skin of natural oils, and that loss of moisture can make fine lines look deeper and more pronounced. Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026 Harsh cleansers strip natural oils from the skin, which makes fine lines look deeper and more prominent. Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Plumping lip oils, brushes and more available. Tory Johnson, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026 It can also be found in certain oils. Jillian Kubala, Health, 23 Apr. 2026 Pictures of the stand filed in court by the city show a hodgepodge of food ingredients, spices, cooking oils, pots, crates, and propane tanks powering a campfire stove. Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026 An entrepreneur and influential food activist in the Make America Healthy Again movement, Hari gives regular shoutouts to substitutes for snacks that contain corn syrup, seed oils, and other ingredients on health-conscious Americans’ blacklist. Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Apr. 2026 Bar soap is generally safer to use in the garden than liquid soaps and detergents, which are designed to break down oils. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
Ramakrishnan typically oils her hair twice a week before washing it. Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oils
Noun
  • Drawn from the museum’s founding collection, the exhibitions aim trace the evolution of human culture through storytelling, from ancient sculptures of gods and goddesses to Renaissance paintings to photographs, comics, and modern cinema, including props and costumes from the Lucas Archives.
    Marc Malkin, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
  • One of New York’s oldest and most esteemed commercial galleries, Knoedler closed down in 2011 amid allegations of profiting from forgeries of paintings by Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and others.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • View this post on Instagram Access greases the gears of the entire apparatus by creating its own positive feedback loop, like an ouroboros of exclusivity.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
  • No eyeball-grabbing videos, no partisan commentary or agenda, and none of the edge or snark that greases the gears of the perpetual-political-outrage machine.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The curators Christine Riding and Lucy Bamford have brought together ten canvases that were originally shown in London between 1765 and 1773—the pieces thanks to which, during his mid-thirties, the North Midlands artist first secured a national reputation.
    Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
  • While some canvases feature just fencing and textile patterns, others incorporate hands and figures, sometimes in vulnerable moments.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Oils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oils. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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