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Glite Dictionary
to siphon gas

to siphon gas

3 7.6
To take gas from a car or container into another using a tube
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈsaɪfən ɡæs/
  • US
translation icon : sifonar gasolina
  • The mechanic showed us how to siphon gas using a simple hose.

Examples

  • We need to siphon gas from the spare container into the car's tank.

  • They've been carrying those to siphon gas?

    Battle of the Bulge (1965)

  • You can siphon gas.

    2012: Ice Age (2011)

  • We're siphoning gas.

    Rat Race (2001)

  • A gas station in nearby Neptune used car batteries to power small pumps that siphoned gas directly out of the station's well.

    Blog text (3)

  • On Saturday, some residents were siphoning gas from cars to run a single small generator to power a light in the laundry room, which had become a relief aid distribution point for housing projects in the surrounding area.

    Blog text (31)

  • Tanya Jackson, 52, and her husband had taken buses to John F. Kennedy Airport, rented a car, and were planning on going to Boston until power was restored—if they could siphon gas from her destroyed car.

    Blog text (31)

  • U.S. Army Humvees and reservists patrolled the streets; people without homes or electricity huddled in need of food, water, and blankets; residents siphoned gas from destroyed cars to power generators.

    Blog text (31)

  • To save money on fuel, they had to siphon gas from their old vehicle.

Synonyms

to pump
vsto siphon gas
178 2.0

To move liquid or gas using a machine that pushes it

uses a tube and suction to transfer fuel manually
to siphon
vsto siphon gas
43 6.0

To move liquid from one container to another using a tube and gravity

transfers fuel specifically by sucking liquid through a hose
to siphon off
vsto siphon gas
2 6.6

To move liquid or money from one place to another slowly and often secretly

moves fuel directly by sucking through a tube

Antonyms

to fill
∞ 1.0

To make a place full by putting people or things into it

How Much

to pump out
23 3.2
to siphon gas
  • US
3 7.6
to draw off
1 4.9
to tap
32 1.1

Surface Forms

siphon gas infinitive
siphoned gas past
siphoned gas past participle
siphoning gas present participle
siphons gas third person singular

Morphology

siphon + gas

The verb 'siphon' literally means to draw off liquid by a siphon and 'gas' refers to gasoline; together they describe the literal action of transferring petrol by siphoning. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The verb siphon gas comes from the simple image of using a long tube or siphon: you put one end into the fuel tank and suck at the other end so the gas runs out into a container. That's why siphon gas means 'to transfer' fuel from one place to another, and often 'to steal' fuel when it is taken without permission.