top kill

noun

a technique in which a heavy fluid, usually drilling mud, is pumped into a leaking oil well to stop the flow of oil: The top kill is underway, but success remains uncertain as engineers desperately pump mud into the damaged blowout preventer.

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British Dictionary definitions for top kill

top kill

noun

a procedure used by oil companies to attempt to plug a leaking well, by pumping heavy drilling fluids into the well before sealing it with concrete

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