top kill

noun

1. a technique in which a heavy fluid, usually drilling mud, is pumped into a leaking oil well to stop the flow of oil:

   The top kill is underway, but success remains uncertain as engineers desperately pump mud into the damaged blowout preventer.

top kill

noun

1. a procedure used by oil companies to attempt to plug a leaking well, by pumping heavy drilling fluids into the well before sealing it with concrete

Word History and Origins

Origin of top kill¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Top kill, robots, container domes, riser insertion tubes, and now back to more robots.

From The Daily Beast