: a colorless odorless flammable gaseous hydrocarbon CH4 that is a product of biological decomposition of organic matter and of the carbonization of coal, is used as a fuel and as a starting material in chemical synthesis, and is the simplest of the alkanes
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The plant provides habitat for fish, crabs and plankton, feeds migratory birds and locks away carbon and methane — both heat-trapping greenhouse gases — in coastal sediments.
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Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
On Monday, SpaceX’s launch team loaded more than 11 million pounds (more than 5,000 metric tons) of super-cold methane and liquid oxygen into both stages of the rocket after halting a previous fueling attempt Saturday night due to a technical issue.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 May 2026
In 1985, an explosion in the basement of a Ross department store—caused by an unventilated buildup of methane gas underneath the store—razed several city blocks and injured twenty-three people.
—Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
In 1992, a buildup of methane gas and coal dust triggered a massive explosion in the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia, Canada, killing 26 coal miners.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
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Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
On Monday, SpaceX’s launch team loaded more than 11 million pounds (more than 5,000 metric tons) of super-cold methane and liquid oxygen into both stages of the rocket after halting a previous fueling attempt Saturday night due to a technical issue.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 12 May 2026
In 1985, an explosion in the basement of a Ross department store—caused by an unventilated buildup of methane gas underneath the store—razed several city blocks and injured twenty-three people.
—Oren Peleg, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
In 1992, a buildup of methane gas and coal dust triggered a massive explosion in the Westray Mine in Nova Scotia, Canada, killing 26 coal miners.
—Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for methane
Cite this Entry
“Methane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/methane. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
methane
noun
meth·ane
ˈmeth-ˌān 
: a colorless odorless flammable gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen and is produced by decay of organic matter
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