colliery

noun

col·​liery ˈkäl-yə-rē 

plural collieries

: a coal mine and its connected buildings

Examples of colliery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its coalfield alone boasted 38 collieries and employed 18,000 people, while another 3,000 worked at the nearby Brymbo Steelworks. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the tragic event which saw 266 men die following an explosion in the colliery. — Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024

Following the 1966 Aberfan tragedy—in which the collapse of a colliery spoil tip buried an elementary school and killed over 100 people—Queen Elizabeth visited the South Wales village. — Janaya Wecker, Town & Country, 15 Nov. 2022

Last year, nine miners plunged to deaths when a steel elevator cable broke at a colliery in a part of Donbas controlled by pro-Russia separatists. — New York Times, 25 June 2022

Although Pegswood’s own colliery closed in 1968, mining remained the main source of local employment until the early 1990s. — The Economist, 31 Mar. 2021

Local residents and miners from the Aberfan colliery led the early rescue operation, helping to pull casualties from the wreckage. — Matthew Robinson, CNN, 22 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

colliery

noun

col·​liery ˈkäl-yə-rē 

plural collieries

: a coal mine and the buildings connected with it