petrol

1. (Commonwealth, excluding Canada) A fluid consisting of a mixture of refined petroleum hydrocarbons, primarily consisting of octane, commonly used as a motor fuel.Examples: "1987 October 29, Advertisement, New Scientist, page 31, We were the first company to introduce unleaded petrol in Britain, opening our first pump in June 1986."; "2000 September 27, Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the 106th Congress, Second Session, Volume 146, Part 14, page 19605, European oil firms are beginning to follow the example of their American counterparts by adding convenience stores to their pumps: the typical American petrol station now makes some 40 percent of its profits from the sale of non-oil products, such as cigarettes and beer."; "2003, S. Srinivasan, Automotive Mechanics, Tata McGraw Hill, India, 2nd Edition, page 149, At a crank angle 6° before the TDC, the electric spark ignites the petrol mixture."Commonwealthuncountableusually

2. (informal) A motor vehicle powered by petrol (as opposed to diesel).Examples: "However, I do feel entitled to criticise the car. There are lots of different versions: manuals and automatics; petrols and diesels; two-wheel drives and four-wheel drives, and it's possible to spend thirty grand on one."informaluncountableusually