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
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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 See all Example Sentences for tar sand 

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tar sand was in 1899

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 24 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

tar sand

noun
: sand or sandstone that is naturally soaked with heavy sticky portions of petroleum

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