water gas

noun

: a poisonous flammable gaseous mixture that consists chiefly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen with small amounts of methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, is usually made by blowing air and then steam over red-hot coke or coal, and is used as a fuel or after carbureting as an illuminant

Examples of water gas in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tanzanian Energy Minister January Makamba said interest in developing the country’s deep-water gas fields had picked up during global climate negotiations last year, with some considering gas as a bridging fuel between hydrocarbons and renewables. —

Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2022 Romania has shallow-water gas projects, but a major deep-water find by eight years ago has still to be exploited. —

Selcan Hacaoglu, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2020 The reaction at play here is called reverse water gas shift, and it’s used in this context to turn carbon dioxide separated from regular seawater into carbon monoxide that can be synthesized into hydrocarbons. —

Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 17 July 2020

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

1833, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of water gas was in 1833

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Water gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20gas. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

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Kids Definition

water gas

noun

: a poisonous flammable gaseous mixture that consists chiefly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, that is usually made by blowing air and then steam over red-hot coke or coal, and that is used as a fuel