oiler

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oiler

/ˈɔɪlɚ/ US
/ˈɔɪlə/ UK

Sounds like Euler · Rhymes with -ɔɪlə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From Middle English oyler, equivalent to oil + -er.

noun oilers

An assistant in the engine room of a ship, senior only to a wiper, mainly responsible for keeping machinery lubricated.
Any of various automatic devices for oiling pneumatic tools or other tools.
An oil tanker. The order to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk – christened four years ago – is unusual but is in line with the White House mandate to reverse a number of military initiatives by Democratic presidents.
Synonym of oilcan.
Similar: oilcan
A small (typically thumb-sized) metal container of oil, often containing an integral brush.
Synonym of oil well.
Similar: oil well
informal An oilskin coat.
US, ethnic, slur A Mexican. Near-synonym: greaser
Similar: greaser
derogatory, slang A sycophant, which is someone who is oily (smarmy). He also said that it was just as difficult to make friends at Cheam School and at Cambridge because he couldn't be sure who 'genuinely liked him' and who were 'trying to suck up' to him because of who he was — 'oilers', Princess Diana once called such people.
slang A heavy drinker; especially, an alcoholic.

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noun ship operative

Ελληνικά	λαδάς ladás

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MLA

"oiler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/oiler. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

oiler. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/oiler

Chicago

"oiler." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/oiler.

BibTeX

@misc{oiler_2026,
  title = {oiler},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/oiler},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}