colliery

American  

[kol-yuh-ree] / ˈkɒl yə ri /

noun

collieries plural

1. a coal mine, including all buildings and equipment.

---

colliery British  

/ ˈkɒljərɪ /

noun

1. a coal mine

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• collieries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of colliery

First recorded in 1625–35; collier + -y ³

Example Sentences

But he watched in disbelief as tonnes of colliery waste poured down the hillside and buried part of the junior school.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

The pit, which opened in 1895, has been described as one of the best preserved Victorian-era colliery sites in Europe.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

Sir Patrick lived with his three beloved dogs in Doncaster near the colliery where his father worked and is survived by his sister Patricia.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026

Generally colliery tips were located on steep hillsides, whereas Ffos-y-Fran's overburden mounds sit "on ground with gentle gradients", with differences too in terms of how they were constructed and their drainage systems, they said.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025

But Llanyglo was not destined to be a colliery village.

From Mushroom Town by Onions, Oliver