oilrig

4.8

A large structure on land or at sea where people drill for oil and gas

noun
/ˈɔɪlˌrɪg/

: plataforma petrolera

After months of planning, the oilrig was finally ready to start drilling for oil off the coast.

Examples

Engineers monitored the oilrig as it drilled deeper into the ocean floor for natural gas.
Tonight, in the Gulf of Mexico, an explosion on a soon-to-be decommissioned oilrig triggered a fire which burned for 3 hours before it was extinguished.

Knowing (2009)
The oil company built a new oilrig in the North Sea to explore untapped reserves.

Synonyms

oil rig

vsoilrig

Specialized

24 3.5

A large platform with machines that drill oil and gas on land or at sea

is the one word spelling form rather than two words

drilling rig

vsoilrig

Specialized

6 4.1

A large machine that makes holes in the ground to get oil or gas

is the general term including both land and sea installations

drill rig

vsoilrig

Specialized

1 5.1

A large machine that drills wells to get oil or gas

emphasizes the whole structure and its equipment rather than a single machine

offshore rig

vsoilrig

Specialized

1 5.6

A large structure in the sea for drilling oil or gas from under the sea floor

is used both on land and at sea rather than only in the ocean

offshore drilling rig

vsoilrig

Specialized

6.3

Large platform at sea where workers get oil or gas from under the sea floor

is used both on land and at sea rather than only offshore

How Big

oilfield

Specialized

10 3.5

oilrig

4.8

derrick

Specialized

3 8.3

well

118 2.0

Surface Forms

oilrig singular

oilrigs plural

Morphology

oilrig = oil + rig (transparent) = oil + rig

Meaning is a direct and literal combination of 'oil' + 'rig' (a rig used for extracting oil), which is easily understood by learners.

Etymology

Oilrig is a simple compound of oil and rig, where rig means 'equipment' or 'a large machine or structure'. So an oilrig is the big structure used to drill for oil or gas.