: a fissile rock that is formed by the consolidation of clay, mud, or silt, has a finely stratified or laminated structure, and is composed of minerals essentially unaltered since deposition
Examples of shale in a Sentence
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In the Permian basin of New Mexico and west Texas, for example, producers can more quickly and economically ramp up extraction of light crude oil trapped in shale rock.
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Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Higher fuel prices are beneficial for shale refiners.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
The company purchases natural gas from the Transco and Columbia Gas Transmission pipelines connected to major shale production regions, including the Marcellus and Utica deposits which stretch from West Virginia to Canada and the Haynesville deposit which spans Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
While the shale revolution — with new fracking methods extracting more oil from Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota — has pushed the US to become the biggest oil producer in the world, this country has learned the hard way that not all oil is the same.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
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Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Higher fuel prices are beneficial for shale refiners.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
The company purchases natural gas from the Transco and Columbia Gas Transmission pipelines connected to major shale production regions, including the Marcellus and Utica deposits which stretch from West Virginia to Canada and the Haynesville deposit which spans Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
While the shale revolution — with new fracking methods extracting more oil from Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota — has pushed the US to become the biggest oil producer in the world, this country has learned the hard way that not all oil is the same.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shale
Cite this Entry
“Shale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shale. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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