oil well

noun

: a well from which petroleum is obtained

Examples of oil well in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Boyles said city records show that an oil well from the 1920s lies below the homes. Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025 Other possible causes include contact with hazardous substances such as smoke from oil well fires, pesticides, depleted uranium, and solvents or corrosive liquids used during equipment repair and maintenance. Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025 In recent years, lawmakers, environmentalists, consumer advocates and California’s former top insurance regulator have pressed insurers to divest from fossil fuel companies and phase out writing coverage for oil wells, coal mines and other extraction projects. Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 19 Oct. 2025 The driller responsible for it, Patton Exploration, solicited companies to extend a pipeline to the oil well to capture the gas and evaluated whether the gas could be used to mine bitcoin. ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for oil well

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oil well was in 1847

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Cite this Entry

“Oil well.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oil%20well. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

oil well

noun
: a well from which petroleum is obtained

More from Merriam-Webster on oil well

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