coal gas

American  

noun

1. a gas used for illuminating and heating, produced by distilling bituminous coal and consisting chiefly of hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide.

2. the gas formed by burning coal.

---

coal gas British  

noun

1. a mixture of gases produced by the distillation of bituminous coal and used for heating and lighting: consists mainly of hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide

---

Etymology

Origin of coal gas

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coal gas

While less polluting than coal, gas plants are still significant sources of planet-warming emissions, and their operations, particularly upstream, also leak methane, the main component of natural gas and itself a powerful greenhouse gas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Redeia, owner of Red Eléctrica, has blamed the blackout on some coal, gas and nuclear power plants' failure to help maintain appropriate voltage.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025

On top of that, the coal, gas, and nuclear power plants that produce that electricity themselves consume even larger quantities of water to stay cool.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2024

Slightly more than $1 trillion is going to coal, gas and oil — fossil fuels that are a major source of emissions that are contributing to global warming.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2023

Back home in the United Kingdom, food, clothes, coal, gas, and electricity were in such short supply they had to be rationed.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein