methane

noun

meth·​ane ˈme-ˌthān 

British usually ˈmē-

: a colorless odorless flammable gaseous hydrocarbon CH₄ that is a product of biological decomposition of organic matter and of the carbonization of coal, is used as a fuel and as a starting material in chemical synthesis, and is the simplest of the alkanes

Examples of methane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The firm has already marked other major successes, including the world’s first successful orbital launch of its Zhuque-2 methane-liquid oxygen rocket in 2023, beating international rivals also developing rockets with what’s seen as a cleaner-burning and more efficient fuel. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025

SpaceX's Raptor engine, which powers its Super Heavy booster and its Starship second stage vehicle, also burns liquid methane and liquid oxygen. —Brett Tingley, Space.com, 3 Dec. 2025

The microbes may also help identify biological pathways that limit methane emissions from livestock. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025

Those methane leaks, when converted to CO2, roughly equal the annual emissions of more than 41,000 typical cars. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 28 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for methane

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

methane

noun

meth·​ane ˈmeth-ˌān 

: a colorless odorless flammable gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen and is produced by decay of organic matter

Medical Definition

methane

noun

meth·​ane

ˈmeth-ˌān, British usually ˈmē-ˌthān

: a colorless, odorless, flammable, gaseous hydrocarbon CH₄ that is lighter than air, forms explosive mixtures with air or oxygen, and occurs naturally as a by-product of the decomposition of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria

called also marsh gas