oil slicks

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Thin shiny layers of oil floating on water, usually after a spill.

   Grammar: Plural of oil slick: one oil slick, several oil slicks.

   Patterns

   • oil slicks on something
   • oil slicks near something

   Satellite pictures showed oil slicks spreading across the bay.

   Volunteers cleaned seabirds that had been caught in oil slicks.

   After the storm, oil slicks gathered near the harbor wall.

2. 2nounplural

   Patches of spilled oil on a hard surface such as a road, making it slippery.

   Grammar: Also plural, used about roads and garages.

   Patterns

   • oil slicks on the road

   Rain brought up oil slicks on the road, and cars skidded.

   Workers sprinkled sand on oil slicks in the car park.

   Cyclists avoid oil slicks because their tires slip easily.

Common combinations

clean up oil slicks

Crews worked for weeks to clean up oil slicks along the coast.

spread of oil slicks

Wind caused the rapid spread of oil slicks.

massive oil slicks

Massive oil slicks covered miles of water.

contain oil slicks

Floating barriers help contain oil slicks.

detect oil slicks

Aircraft can detect oil slicks from the air.

Synonyms and how they differ

oil spills

Oil spills refers to the leak itself, while slicks describes the oil layer visible on the surface.

oil films

Films are very thin layers, so they suggest less oil than slicks.

oil patches

Patches are smaller and more localized, and are commonly used about land.

Word family

oil slick noun

singular form

slick adjective

smooth and slippery, or clever but insincere

oil spill noun

an accidental release of oil

oily adjective

covered with or full of oil

Commonly confused: oil slicks or oil spills?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words