oil palm

noun

: an African pinnate-leaved palm (Elaeis guineensis) cultivated for its clustered fruit whose flesh and seeds yield oil

Examples of oil palm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The largest fire has been reported in the village of Sungai Gelam in the Muaro Jambi district, where dozens of hectares of oil palm plantations owned by local residents have been destroyed. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 The menu knows when to joke Dakar Bread uses West African oil palm fruit pressed into the dough. — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 The corpse flower also raises its temperature on that first, most foul-smelling evening of the bloom, to further disperse the odor. — Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 25 June 2026 Agriculture is the backbone of many ASEAN economies like Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, where smallholder farms of rice, maize, and oil palm provide employment and food security. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oil palm

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oil palm was in 1850

Rhymes for oil palm

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Browse Nearby Words

oil painting
oil palm
oil pan
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Cite this Entry

“Oil palm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oil%20palm. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

oil palm

noun
: a palm that is cultivated for its clusters of fruits from which a vegetable oil is obtained

More from Merriam-Webster on oil palm

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oil palm

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