noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpɛtɹə(ʊ)ˌdɒlə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈpɛtɹoʊˌdɑlɚ/
CMU ARPABET:P EH1 T R OW0 D AA2 L ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil, often especially as considered among a national economy's principal revenue streams.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: also, attributive, in-plural
Qualifier: oil industry
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Pre-Greekder.? Ancient Greek πέτρᾱ (pétrā)bor. Latin petrader. English petro- Proto-Germanic *dalą Proto-West Germanic *dal Old High German tal Middle High German tal German Tal German Talerder. Middle Low German dālerbor. Dutch dalerbor. English dollar English petrodollar From petro- (prefix meaning ‘petroleum; oil export’) + dollar, possibly modelled after Eurodollar.
Across languages
Translations
16 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
նավթադոլար
(navtʻadolar)
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Dutch:
petrodollar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Finnish:
öljyraha
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
French:
pétrodollar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Georgian:
ნავთობდოლარი
(navtobdolari)
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
German:
Petrodollar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Greek:
πετροδολάριο
(petrodolário)
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Italian:
petrodollaro
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Italian:
petroldollaro
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Polish:
petrodolar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Portuguese:
petrodólar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Romanian:
petrodolar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Russian:
нефтедо́ллар
(neftedóllar)
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Spanish:
petrodólar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Swedish:
oljedollar
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
Ukrainian:
нафтодо́лар
(naftodólar)
— money (either notionally or specifically in dollars or other currencies) earned from the sale of oil
