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Hydraulic fracturing is a technique in which a liquid is injected under high pressure into a well in order to create tiny fissures in the rock deep beneath the earth which then allow gas and oil to flow into the well. The term "hydraulic fracturing" is first known to have appeared in print in a 1948 issue of Oil & Gas Journal. A 1953 issue of the same journal also contains the earliest known print use of "fracking." The word fracking (sometimes spelled fraccing or fracing, particularly by those in the gas and oil industries) was created by shortening "fracturing." The addition of the "k" brings the word into conformity with the inflected forms of similar English words ending in a vowel plus "c," such as shellacking, panicking, and frolicking.
Examples of fracking in a Sentence
David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
But, instead of mixing water, sand, and chemical additives for this fracturing (as done in fracking), an EGS primarily uses just water for fracturing the hot rock, transporting heat to the surface for generating the electricity.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Proponents raised health concerns about exposure to pollutants and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which injects water, chemicals and other substances underground to break through rocks to extract the minerals.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2026
Brine injected into the earth in Oklahoma, including into wells used for hydraulic fracking of oil and natural gas, was one of several factors that led to a 40-fold increase in earthquake activity in the five-year period from 2008 to 2013, as compared to the preceding 31 years.
—Mervin Xuyang Lim, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Fracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fracking. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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