wildcatter
noun
Did you know?
Messing with a wildcat, such as a lynx, can be a pretty risky undertaking, but ferocious felines played only an indirect role in the development of the word wildcatter. That term has been used in English since the late 19th century, along with the verb "wildcat," which refers to the risky practice of drilling experimental oil wells in territory not known to produce oil. English-speakers associated "wildcat" with risk-taking ventures after a number of U.S. banks fraudulently issued banknotes with little or no capital to back them up. Supposedly, the banknotes issued by one particular bank bore the image of a panther or, as it was known locally, a "wildcat," and it was those risky notes that led to the financial risk-taking senses of "wildcat" and "wildcatter."
Examples of wildcatter in a Sentence
Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Her home was just miles from where wildcatter George Mitchell was carrying out early fracking experiments.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025
How oil ‘wildcatters’ ended up in charge of Trump’s energy policy
CEO of major U.S. power utility urges Trump to remain in Paris Agreement
For More Sustainability Coverage, Click Here.
—Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
Iowa farmers, cod fishermen in Massachusetts, ranchers in Colorado, and oil wildcatters in Texas depended on an army of clerks at Madison Square.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wildcatter
Cite this Entry
“Wildcatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wildcatter. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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