degreaser

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable or uncountable

   A cleaning product that dissolves and removes grease and oil from surfaces, engines or tools.

   Grammar: Countable for a product (a degreaser) and uncountable for the substance (apply degreaser).

   Patterns

   • apply degreaser to something
   • degreaser for something

   He sprayed degreaser on the oven door and wiped it clean.

   A strong degreaser is useful for greasy engine parts.

   Mix a little degreaser into the bucket for the kitchen floor.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A person or machine that removes grease, especially in a factory process.

   Grammar: Industrial use, less common than the product sense.

   Patterns

   • industrial degreaser

   The factory installed a new degreaser for metal parts.

   An ultrasonic degreaser cleaned the tools before painting.

   The degreaser removes oil before the parts are coated.

Word forms

Common combinations

kitchen degreaser

A kitchen degreaser cuts through baked-on fat.

engine degreaser

Use an engine degreaser before you work on the motor.

spray on degreaser

Spray on degreaser and leave it for five minutes.

heavy-duty degreaser

A heavy-duty degreaser is best for the garage floor.

citrus degreaser

The citrus degreaser smelled fresh and worked quickly.

Synonyms and how they differ

solvent

A solvent is any liquid that dissolves a substance; a degreaser is made specifically to remove grease.

cleaner

A cleaner is a general product, while a degreaser targets oil and grease in particular.

detergent

Detergent is a soap-like cleaner for washing, and is usually milder than a dedicated degreaser.

Word family

degrease verb

to remove grease from something

grease noun

a thick, oily substance

greasy adjective

covered with or full of grease

greasiness noun

the quality of being greasy

Commonly confused: degreaser or descaler?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “degreaser”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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