- present participle of oil.
oiling
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I learned that oiling the blade prevents humidity from tarnishing the steel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
The high concentration of pine forest in North Gyeongsang province, where the fires are burning, is also "oiling" the blaze, said a forest disaster expert.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2025
If commoners' living standards slip—not relative to the elites, but relative to what they had before—they accept the overtures of the counter-elites and start oiling the axles of their tumbrels.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2023
The final count for the spill will likely be closer to the lower figure, which correlates with the amount of oiling seen on the California shore.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2021
At one of these ends there was an enormous camera on wheels, and a whole army of Oompa-Loompas was clustering around it, oiling its joints and adjusting its knobs and polishing its great glass lens.
From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
