coal gas

noun

: gas made from coal: such as
a
: the mixture of gases thrown off by burning coal
b
: gas made by carbonizing bituminous coal in retorts and used for heating and lighting

Examples of coal gas 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.
Similar events elsewhere, whether the introduction and control of coal gas in the United Kingdom or constructing bridge barriers in Australia and New Zealand, show that reducing access to common lethal means of suicide also reduces suicide deaths. Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 28 May 2024 The pollutants come from the site of the former Alexandria Town Gas manufacturing plant, which produced coal gas from 1851 to 1947 at North Lee and Oronoco streets in Old Town, according to a 2021 report prepared for the city by Cardno, an environmental consulting firm. Teo Armus, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023 So cars were modified in France to run on coal gas. Larry Printz, Ars Technica, 4 Oct. 2023 Diesel shortages during World War II prompted Belgium to run its public buses on a combination of ammonia and coal gas. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Feb. 2021 Up until the 1960s, the ovens and stoves in many British homes used coal gas, which was rich in dangerous carbon monoxide and was implicated in many deaths, accidental or intentional. Dave Philipps, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2020 For instance, before England and Wales shifted utilities from domestic coal gas to natural gas in the 1960s and ’70s — an economic decision that by chance eliminated deadly carbon monoxide — inhaling oven fumes was the method of choice for 41 percent of all suicides in 1963. Russ Juskalian, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coal gas was in 1806

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Cite this Entry

“Coal gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coal%20gas. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

coal gas

noun
: gas from coal
especially : gas made from bituminous coal and used for heating and lighting

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