shale oil

noun

: a crude dark oil obtained from oil shale by heating

Examples of shale oil in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That bureaucracy was whittled down ahead of the Bakken shale oil boom, which flooded money into the area where poverty even now is double the national rate. Melvin Backman, Quartz, 12 July 2024 Saudi Arabia decided to wage a price war against emerging U.S. shale oil producers, and oil prices plummeted as a result. Francisco Rodríguez, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2020 Related article Why oil companies are raking in record profits under Joe Biden Powered by the shale oil boom, the United States produced 13.2 million barrels of crude oil per day in March, according to federal statistics. Matt Egan, CNN, 14 June 2024 The resulting overproduction and free fall in oil prices is testing the business models of all producers, particularly those in emerging markets, including the one that exists in the United States—the shale oil and gas sector. Carmen Reinhart, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2020 See all Example Sentences for shale oil 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shale oil.' 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

1857, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shale oil was in 1857

Dictionary Entries Near shale oil

Cite this Entry

“Shale oil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shale%20oil. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

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