Meaning
In British English, petrol is the liquid motor fuel commonly called gas or gasoline in American English.
How it is used
Cambridge Dictionary labels petrol as UK English and compares it directly with US gas, defining it as a petroleum-derived liquid used especially as vehicle fuel. Collins independently marks petrol as British and gives gas or gasoline as the American regional equivalents.
Examples
- “We need to stop for petrol before we leave.”
- “Is there a petrol station nearby?”
- “The car is getting low on petrol.”
Pronunciation
/ˈpet.rəl/ · PET-ruhl
Tone and register
Neutral, standard, and ordinary in British English. Petrol is not slang.
Visitor guidance
Visitors can understand petrol as gasoline in ordinary motoring contexts and petrol station as the British expression corresponding broadly to gas station. Do not use this vocabulary entry to decide which fuel a vehicle requires: petrol, diesel, electric charging, octane grades, fuel compatibility, prices, taxes, and station availability are vehicle-specific or time-sensitive matters that need current authoritative information.
Cultural context
Petrol is basic British travel vocabulary because it appears in driving directions, vehicle descriptions, roadside signs, news, prices, and everyday conversation. The British-versus-American distinction is particularly useful because saying gas in Britain can refer more generally to gaseous fuel, while petrol unambiguously identifies this common liquid vehicle fuel in everyday speech.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.