oil well

noun

1. a well that yields or has yielded oil.

oil well

noun

1. a boring into the earth or sea bed for the extraction of petroleum

Word History and Origins

Origin of oil well¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

When the tube heats up, it creates steam that can be injected into the oil well.

From The Daily Beast

From the station she could see half a dozen one-story shacks and, beyond, the outline of oil well derricks.

From Project Gutenberg

In these systems, the oil well is generally located in a "secondary" bottom of the crank case.

From Project Gutenberg

From his description, we thought his oil well was an honest-to-goodness well, and we sold a lot of stock for him.

From Project Gutenberg

The surreptitious pictures of the oil well were also recovered and destroyed.

From Project Gutenberg

And this camera was pointed directly at the oil well and at the Comet players.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gusher
• oil rig
• oilfield