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
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Starting around 2005, companies began to unlock massive new supplies of natural gas, and then oil, from shale basins, thanks to two new technologies: horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (or fracking). David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2017 By 2015, natural gas had become the state’s largest source of electricity, a result of the nationwide boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which unleashed a wave of cheap, plentiful gas. Nadja Popovich, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2024 Kamala Harris’ Evolving Climate Positions In 2016, California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris sued the Obama administration over permitting hydraulic fracturing. Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024 The area is known for fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a process that injects water at high pressure into the ground to extract oil. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hydraulic fracturing 

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 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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