hydrocarbon
noun
hy·dro·car·bon
ˈhī-drō-ˌkär-bən 
: an organic compound (such as acetylene or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens
Examples of hydrocarbon in a Sentence
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Strategic petroleum reserves will continue to be important, and other hydrocarbons have specific uses that can’t be immediately replaced.
—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Gevo's Alcohol-to-Jet projects aim to produce energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons using renewable energy and proprietary technology.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2025
For generations, drivers have gotten used to being able to refuel their cars in five minutes using energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons, and plenty of them balk at the idea of having to drive a car where recharging a battery takes half an hour or more.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
The elements are combined to make hydrocarbon chains, building blocks of different fuels, including SAF.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
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Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Gevo's Alcohol-to-Jet projects aim to produce energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons using renewable energy and proprietary technology.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2025
For generations, drivers have gotten used to being able to refuel their cars in five minutes using energy-dense liquid hydrocarbons, and plenty of them balk at the idea of having to drive a car where recharging a battery takes half an hour or more.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 18 Mar. 2025
The elements are combined to make hydrocarbon chains, building blocks of different fuels, including SAF.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hydrocarbon
Cite this Entry
“Hydrocarbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydrocarbon. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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hydrocarbon
noun
hy·dro·car·bon
ˌhī-drə-ˈkär-bən
: a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen
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