natural gas

noun

1

: gas issuing from the earth's crust through natural openings or bored wells

especially : a combustible mixture of methane and other hydrocarbons used chiefly as a fuel and raw material

2

: gas manufactured from organic matter (such as coal)

Examples of natural gas in a Sentence

a house heated by natural gas

Recent Examples on the Web

This would expand the nation’s network of natural gas, oil, petrochemical and carbon dioxide pipelines, the report said. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

European natural gas prices continue to rise as the continent's stocks are depleted to record lows, fueling fresh fears of a looming winter price shock. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Australia had allowed Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell to drill a major new natural gas field there with the requirement that the companies buried at least 80% of the CO2 that came out of the ground with it. — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026

This includes relaxing rules around flaring—or burning off excess natural gas at well sites—as well as doing away with a program that requires speedy fixes for large methane leaks. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for natural gas

• bermudagrass
• ecclesiastes
• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• crabgrass
• crevasse
• eelgrass
• eyeglass
• groundmass
• harass

Kids Definition

natural gas

noun

: gas that comes from the earth's crust through natural openings or bored wells

especially : a flammable mixture of hydrocarbons and especially methane used chiefly as a fuel and raw material