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

Late last year, that same board approved a multi-year natural gas supply contract with New Fortress Energy, a company that has warned of bankruptcy, yet received a $4 billion contract from the Puerto Rican government. —Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 28 Feb. 2026

Iran’s main natural gas fields are further to the south along the Persian Gulf coast. —Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026

Scientists still debate what started that eruption, and whether it was triggered by drilling for natural gas, or by an earthquake. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026

Firefighters in Taunton, Massachusetts said a natural gas leak is the cause of a house explosion that left a mother and her child with potentially life-threatening burns. —Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for natural gas

• bermudagrass
• alas
• amass
• bromegrass
• bypass
• chagas
• 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