natural gas

American  

noun

1. a combustible mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons that accumulates in porous sedimentary rocks, especially those yielding petroleum, consisting usually of over 80 percent methane together with minor amounts of ethane, propane, butane, nitrogen, and, sometimes, helium: used as a fuel and to make carbon black, acetylene, and synthesis gas.

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natural gas British  

noun

1. a gaseous mixture consisting mainly of methane trapped below ground; used extensively as a fuel

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natural gas Scientific  

/ năch′ər-əl /

1. A mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs naturally beneath the Earth's surface, often with or near petroleum deposits. Natural gas contains mostly of methane but also has varying amounts of ethane, propane, butane, and nitrogen. It is used as a fuel and in making organic compounds.

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Etymology

Origin of natural gas

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

natural gas

The only kind of 24/7, do-it-yourself power generation available in the short term comes from natural gas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Musk embraced the concept in the summer of 2024, when semi-trucks arrived in Memphis, Tenn., carrying mobile natural gas generators for the data center project he called Colossus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

But the same framework underpins limits on power plants, just as the AI boom drives a surge of new natural gas projects.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

The European benchmark price for natural gas, the Dutch futures contract TTF, was up 4% to 61.11 euros a megawatt hour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Emma was the only one who managed to get a question in edgewise: “You think we just went through a natural gas explosion?”

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• crude oil
• fossil fuel
• fuel
• gas
• gasoline
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• petrol