gasoline
gb/ɡˈæsəlˌin/ us/ɡˈæsəlˌin/
B1
English
~ 8800
benzin, olaj a tűzre
NOUN
B1
1
benzin
A2
Usage pattern:
to put gasoline in [a vehicle]
Gasoline prices usually go up before a holiday weekend.
A benzin ára általában felmegy egy hosszú ünnepi hétvége előtt.
This car uses less gasoline than my old SUV.
Ez az autó kevesebb benzint fogyaszt, mint a régi SUV-om.
We ran out of gasoline halfway to the cabin and had to call for help.
The lawn mower won’t start; I think it needs more gasoline.
In some countries, leaded gasoline has been completely banned.
Learner examples
I need to buy gasoline for my car.
Benzint kell vennem az autómba.
Her small car does not use much gasoline.
Az ő kisautója nem fogyaszt sok benzint.
We stopped at a station to get gasoline.
The motorcycle runs on gasoline.
Gasoline is made from oil.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "gas" meaning "gasoline" in American English with "gas" as a scientific word for a state of matter. Also, in British English the common word is "petrol", not "gasoline". Another mistake is treating "gasoline" as countable in everyday use (e.g., saying *a gasoline*); it is normally uncountable: "some gasoline", "a gallon of gasoline".
Meaning
Liquid fuel for cars and engines
Collocations
unleaded gasoline
|premium gasoline
|a gallon of gasoline
|gasoline prices
|put gasoline in the car
|run on gasoline
Synonyms
petrol (Standard word in British and many other varieties of English; same substance as gasoline.)
|
gas (Common American informal term for gasoline; can be confusing because it also means any gas as a state of matter.)
|
fuel (More general; includes gasoline but also diesel, kerosene, etc.)
Antonyms
electricity (Not a direct opposite, but a contrasting energy source used by electric vehicles instead of gasoline.)
Themes
transport
|energy
|daily life
|transportation
|science
|daily_life
Definition
A liquid fuel made from oil that is used to run cars and other engines.
A clear, flammable liquid made from refined petroleum, used mainly as fuel in internal combustion engines such as those in cars, motorcycles, and small machines.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
2
olaj a tűzre
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] is gasoline on [a situation/problem]
The politician’s harsh comments were gasoline on an already heated debate.
A politikus kemény megjegyzései csak olaj voltak a tűzre az amúgy is heves vitában.
Sharing that rumor now would be pure gasoline on the office drama.
Ha most megosztanád azt a pletykát, az csak olaj lenne a tűzre az irodai drámában.
His sudden resignation was gasoline on the crisis the company was trying to control.
Learner examples
Her angry post was like gasoline on the problem.
A dühös posztja olyan volt, mint olaj a tűzre a probléma kapcsán.
That joke was gasoline on the fight between them.
Az a vicc csak olaj volt a tűzre a köztük lévő veszekedésben.
Telling him the news now would be gasoline on his stress.
Common mistake:
Learners may think "gasoline" is always literal and fail to notice when it is used metaphorically in phrases like "gasoline on the fire" to describe something that makes a conflict or problem worse.
Meaning
Thing that makes trouble much worse
Collocations
like gasoline on a fire
|gasoline on the flames
|emotional gasoline
|political gasoline
Synonyms
trigger (Focuses on starting a strong reaction; "gasoline" suggests strongly increasing an already active situation.)
|
catalyst (More formal and technical; can be positive or negative, while "gasoline" in this sense is strongly negative.)
|
provocation (Emphasizes causing anger; "gasoline" emphasizes making existing anger or conflict explode.)
Antonyms
calming influence (Has the opposite effect: it reduces tension instead of making it explode.)
|
stabilizer (Something that keeps a situation steady rather than intensifying it.)
Themes
emotions
|conflict
|metaphor
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Something that makes a bad or tense situation much worse or more intense.
Something that greatly worsens or speeds up an already tense, emotional, or dangerous situation, especially by adding more anger, conflict, or pressure.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gasoline
IPA
GB/ɡˈæsəlˌin/
US/ɡˈæsəlˌin/
Syllables & stress
gas - ol - ine (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (gas)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gasoline
- Plural: gasoline, gasolines
Word family
Expressions
pour gasoline on the fire
1/pˈɔɹ ɡˈæsəlˌin ˈɔn ðə fˈaɪɚ/
idiom
Make a tense situation worse
To do or say something that makes a bad or angry situation much worse.
Examples
- Blaming the workers right now would just pour gasoline on the fire.
- When she brought up old problems during the argument, it poured gasoline on the fire.