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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The advent of hydraulic fracturing unleashed a wave of oil and gas production, even as U.S. energy demand barely budged. Seth Blumsack, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025 And a new factor has been changing the prospects for wind and solar: the arrival of abundant supplies of natural gas extracted by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, from shales. IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2012 The most visible and economically significant of the new production technologies, hydraulic fracturing of shale hydrocarbons (fracking), was fostered by various arms of the federal government starting in the 1970s. William H. Janeway, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2013 His relationship with oil magnate Harold Hamm, the richest man in Oklahoma and a pioneer in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technology, has been well-documented. Mary Steurer, ProPublica, 24 Jan. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Hydraulic fracturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydraulic%20fracturing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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