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
Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren
Examples of hydraulic fracturing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Before the advent of hydraulic fracturing caused the latest oil boom here—horizontal drilling has turned the Permian Basin, which stretches from New Mexico into Texas, into the nation's largest oil reserve—this region was a potash-mining community.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
But Tory governments failed to deploy new hydraulic fracturing technology in areas that have untapped gas, while investment in North Sea oil and gas fields has languished under green hostility.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2022
When horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods were developed in the 2000s, Mr. Stephens began targeting the Spraberry layer deep in the Permian Basin, which is thick with oil but had been uneconomic to drill before new technologies emerged.
—Gregory Zuckerman, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022
A little less than 15 years ago, the advent and widespread deployment of hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, changed the dynamics.
—Justin Worland/houston, Time, 10 Mar. 2022
State oil and gas regulators have denied most new permits to use hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, and similar extraction technologies since 2019, when Newsom began calling for plans to phase out oil production in California, citing the increasingly harmful effects of global warming.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2022
In the early 2010s, Pennsylvania enacted a state law that gave the oil and gas industry the right to commence hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, anywhere in the state.
—Amber Polk, The Conversation, 15 Aug. 2023
The United States, an increasingly powerful energy exporter on global markets, set in motion by former President Obama’s end to four decades of restraint on U.S. oil exports as hydraulic fracturing came online, stands to benefit.
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
Miller said that some of the energy that Southern California Edison delivers is from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, natural gas, a practice that environmental activists condemn because of its ability to pollute groundwater and release the greenhouse gas methane.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Feb. 2022
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Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
But Tory governments failed to deploy new hydraulic fracturing technology in areas that have untapped gas, while investment in North Sea oil and gas fields has languished under green hostility.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 14 Jan. 2022
When horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods were developed in the 2000s, Mr. Stephens began targeting the Spraberry layer deep in the Permian Basin, which is thick with oil but had been uneconomic to drill before new technologies emerged.
—Gregory Zuckerman, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022
A little less than 15 years ago, the advent and widespread deployment of hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as fracking, changed the dynamics.
—Justin Worland/houston, Time, 10 Mar. 2022
State oil and gas regulators have denied most new permits to use hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking, and similar extraction technologies since 2019, when Newsom began calling for plans to phase out oil production in California, citing the increasingly harmful effects of global warming.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2022
In the early 2010s, Pennsylvania enacted a state law that gave the oil and gas industry the right to commence hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, anywhere in the state.
—Amber Polk, The Conversation, 15 Aug. 2023
The United States, an increasingly powerful energy exporter on global markets, set in motion by former President Obama’s end to four decades of restraint on U.S. oil exports as hydraulic fracturing came online, stands to benefit.
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
Miller said that some of the energy that Southern California Edison delivers is from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, natural gas, a practice that environmental activists condemn because of its ability to pollute groundwater and release the greenhouse gas methane.
—Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Feb. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hydraulic fracturing.' 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
1948, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of hydraulic fracturing was
in 1948
Dictionary Entries Near hydraulic fracturing
Cite this Entry
“Hydraulic fracturing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hydraulic%20fracturing. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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