oil well
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of oil well
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
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.
The industry uses the terms “enhanced recovery” and “well stimulation techniques” to describe these controversial methods to extend the life of an oil well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Shutting in an oil well risks long-term damage to reservoir pressure and incurs high restart costs, usually making it a measure of last resort.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
In Texas, a sinkhole around a former oil well in McCamey has grown 200 feet wide and 40 feet deep.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2025
The driller responsible for it, Patton Exploration, solicited companies to extend a pipeline to the oil well to capture the gas and evaluated whether the gas could be used to mine bitcoin.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2025
While I spoke in supercilious accents, and looked at the room as if I had an oil well in my own backyard, my armpits were being pricked by millions of hot pointed needles.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
