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Synonyms

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.

natural gas British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.

Etymology

Origin of natural gas

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mitsui O.S.K. operates hundreds of vessels globally, including one of the world’s largest fleets of liquefied natural gas carriers, and owns prime properties in cities such as London, Sydney, Osaka, and Tokyo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

New Jersey-based Bluepoint Wind has committed to investing up to $765 million into a U.S. based liquefied natural gas facility, the amount of its original bid under the Biden administration.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

The buy would also add Arc’s natural-gas reserves, which would support Shell’s liquefied natural gas production in Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The majority of the UK's CO2 is imported from Europe but it is often produced as a by-product when companies make fertiliser, which needs natural gas.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

It said that Governor Thomas Corbett had proposed that the state’s institutions of higher learning should consider closing their budget shortfalls by drilling for natural gas on their campuses.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.