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tar sand
noun
: a natural impregnation of sand or sandstone with petroleum from which the lighter portions have escaped
Examples of tar sand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
American companies that work there—in the Canadian tar sands or in the North Sea’s oil fields, for example—will still have to make these disclosures.
—Matt Mossman, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2017
Vaillant weaves together the story of the tar sands industry, the impacts of climate change and the white-knuckle evacuation of the town into a frightening wake-up call of our new reality concerning wildfires.
—Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2023
Fort McMurray is in the middle of Alberta’s tar sands, or bituminous sands.
—Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2023
The growth in fossil-fuel financing among Canadian institutions may be explained by recent demand from the tar sand industry, Maaike Beenes, the campaign lead at BankTrack, told S&P Global.
—Michelle Cheng, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2023
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Word History
First Known Use
1899, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near tar sand
Cite this Entry
“Tar sand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tar%20sand. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
tar sand
noun
: sand or sandstone that is naturally soaked with heavy sticky portions of petroleum
More from Merriam-Webster on tar sand
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tar sand
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