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

Recent Examples on the Web

These bulky hydrocarbons, whiffed by the Huygens probe that Cassini dropped on the moon in 2005, eventually settle out of the atmosphere and coat the ground, like a veneer of soot. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Sep. 2024

Nature transforms heat into chemical energy in living beings, or in hydrocarbons, fossilized over hundreds of millions of years. —André Hoffmann and Peter Vanham, TIME, 10 Sep. 2024

By then, China was the world’s largest importer of hydrocarbons, providing Russia with a new, enormous, and still expanding market. —Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2023

Central Asia is also a hub for other energy resources, including vast reserves of hydrocarbons. —Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hydrocarbon

• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
• polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon

Kids Definition

hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon ˌhī-drə-ˈkär-bən 

: a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen

Medical Definition

hydrocarbon

noun

hy·​dro·​car·​bon -ˈkär-bən 

: an organic compound (as acetylene, benzene, or butane) containing only carbon and hydrogen and often occurring in petroleum, natural gas, coal, and bitumens