hydraulic fracturing

noun

: fracking
The gas-fired plants come courtesy of the revolution in hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), which has delivered a vast supply of low-cost natural gas to an electricity market that has struggled with steadily rising coal prices since 2001.Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren

Examples of hydraulic fracturing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Its most important offering is mesh frac sand used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025 Halliburton first developed early hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, techniques more than 75 years ago under founder Erle P. Halliburton. Jordan Blum, Fortune, 22 July 2025 Instead of just drilling vertical wells, the company uses horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques to harvest naturally occurring heat. Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025 By contrast, the rest of the U.S. has seen natural gas prices cut in half over that period, thanks in part to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Brett Watson, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hydraulic fracturing

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hydraulic fracturing was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Hydraulic fracturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydraulic%20fracturing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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