dry hole

noun

: a well (as for gas or oil) that proves unproductive

Examples of dry hole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the project’s first well, tapping a state lease in the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness near the Green River’s Bowknot Bend, was a dry hole, Chris Conrad, BLM’s Price field office manager, told the Emery County Public Lands Council earlier this month. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Mar. 2021 Consider using hydraulic fracturing for hybrid EGS applications where conventional applications have encountered the geothermal equivalent of a dry hole – natural fractures were not encountered during drilling but could be intersected by fracturing. Ian Palmer, Forbes, 19 May 2022 But in San Diego, the search for crude has led to one dry hole after another. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2021 For their part, company representatives deny the Bowknot well was a dry hole. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Mar. 2021 January and February, normally the wettest months, formed a dry hole in the middle of the rainy season. Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2020 But please, tell us more about how a field featuring a popular former vice president, four accomplished senators (and the reportedly annoying mayor of South Bend, Ind., for some reason) is a dry hole. BostonGlobe.com, 13 Nov. 2019 The little money Mesa made was all too often sucked down by yet another dry hole. Cyrus Sanati, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2019 After drilling $22 million worth of dry holes in 2011, Barrow-Shaver had jumped at Raptor’s offer. Janet Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 5 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dry hole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dry hole was in 1883

Dictionary Entries Near dry hole

Cite this Entry

“Dry hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry%20hole. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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