drilling mud

American  

noun

1. a water-based or oil-based suspension of clays pumped into an oil well during drilling in order to seal off porous rock layers, equalize the pressure, cool the bit, and flush out the cuttings.

---

drilling mud British  

noun

1. a mixture of clays, water, and chemicals pumped down the drill string while an oil well is being drilled to lubricate the mechanism, carry away rock cuttings, and maintain pressure so that oil or gas does not escape

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drilling mud

Some 42,000 gallons of drilling mud spewed across the tundra, and several residents later complained of respiratory ailments.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2022

Melissa Lorentz, an attorney with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said Enbridge’s permits specifically prohibit the discharge of drilling mud into waters along the route.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2021

No one was injured, but residents and pedestrians captured video of oil, gas, drilling mud and other debris blasted into the sky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2020

On June 10, about 40 gallons of drilling mud oozed out of the ground outside Mingo Presbyterian Church, a 187-year-old building with a bright red roof next to the Seamans’ place.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 27, 2018

Soon after, at a community meeting, Friel Otten learned that, if drilling mud leaked into the aquifer, calcium levels in her tap water could spike.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 26, 2018