hydraulic fracturing

noun

: fracking
The gas-fired plants come courtesy of the revolution in hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), which has delivered a vast supply of low-cost natural gas to an electricity market that has struggled with steadily rising coal prices since 2001.Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren

Examples of hydraulic fracturing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Natural gas is 85 to 90 percent methane, which is primarily produced by hydraulic fracturing cracking deep shales underground to release gas. Justin Mikulka, Scientific American, 15 July 2024 For fossil fuel companies, horizontal drilling has been a great tool — in combination with hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking — for tapping vast oil and gas deposits that were previously hard to reach. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024 The bill also called for stringent vehicle emission standards and a ban on the hydraulic fracturing technique used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground. Jeremy Yurow, USA TODAY, 19 June 2024 The boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has allowed the United States to become energy independent (or nearly so). Steven A. Cook, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2020 See all Example Sentences for hydraulic fracturing 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydraulic fracturing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near hydraulic fracturing

Cite this Entry

“Hydraulic fracturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydraulic%20fracturing. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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