liquefaction
American-
Chemistry The act or process of turning a gas into a liquid. Liquefaction is usually achieved by compression of vapors (provided the temperature of the gas is below the critical temperature), by refrigeration, or by adiabatic expansion.
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Geology The process by which sediment that is very wet starts to behave like a liquid. Liquefaction occurs because of the increased pore pressure and reduced effective stress between solid particles generated by the presence of liquid. It is often caused by severe shaking, especially that associated with earthquakes.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of liquefaction
1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin liquefactiōn- (stem of liquefactiō ) a melting, equivalent to Latin liquefact ( us ) (past participle of liquefacere to melt, liquefy ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Liquefaction facilities, meanwhile, are highly specialized engineering megaprojects that take years to construct and significantly longer to repair than conventional oil fields.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Liquefaction can cause structures to tilt, or it can lead to a more dramatic phenomenon known as “lateral spreading” in which buildings on suddenly fluid soil slide down gentle slopes, such as toward river banks.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2024
A trio of agreements for Cheniere's expansion of its Corpus Christi Liquefaction plant, in the Gregory-Portland Independent School District, are worth an estimated $172 million in tax breaks throughout their respective life cycles.
From Salon • Feb. 1, 2023
Liquefaction, Dr. Tingay and his colleagues argue, is accompanied by large gas expulsions, which would have been detected in the well.
From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2015
I cut and cut again; First cut the Liquefaction, what comes last But Fichte's clever cut at God Himself?'
From Obiter Dicta by Birrell, Augustine
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
