methane

American  

[meth-ayn, mee-thayn] / ˈmɛθ eɪn, ˈmi θeɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

• methanes
  plural

1. a colorless, odorless, flammable gas, CH 4 , the main constituent of marsh gas and the firedamp of coal mines, obtained commercially from natural gas: the first member of the methane, or alkane, series of hydrocarbons.

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methane British  

/ ˈmiːθeɪn /

noun

1. a colourless odourless flammable gas, the simplest alkane and the main constituent of natural gas: used as a fuel. Formula: CH 4 See also marsh gas firedamp

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methane Scientific  

/ mĕth′ān′ /

1. A colorless, odorless, flammable gas that is the simplest hydrocarbon. It is the major constituent of natural gas and is released during the decomposition of plant or other organic compounds, as in marshes and coal mines. Methane is the first member of the alkane series. Chemical formula: CH ₄ .

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• methanes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of methane

First recorded in 1865–70; meth- + -ane

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Explanation

Methane, a colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally on Earth, is a component in natural gas. It's also one of the major contributors to climate change. Methane is highly flammable, and it comprises as much as 90 percent of the natural gas that's commonly used for heating, cooking, and generating electricity. Although the release of methane into the atmosphere is a natural process, too much of it contributes to the greenhouse effect, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet. Methane was discovered by an Italian scientist in 1776, who collected the gas as it rose from a marsh.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

methane

"We observed a significant long-term increase in methane uptake in the forest areas we studied."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

On average, the amount of methane absorbed by the soils increased by approximately 3% annually.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

Their findings revealed an unexpected trend: under certain climate conditions that could become more common in the future, forest soils can actually increase the amount of methane they remove from the atmosphere.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

By monitoring how gas concentrations changed inside these chambers, the researchers could determine whether the soil was absorbing methane and calculate how much was being removed.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

Some observers have reported variable white clouds above that disk—most likely, clouds of methane crystals.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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