top kill

American

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.

top kill British

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

Etymology

Origin of top kill

First recorded in 1930–35

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.

See Examples For:

top kill

BP failed to plug the leak Saturday after several attempts with its top kill, which shot mud and pieces of rubber into the well but couldn't beat back the pressure of the oil.

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2011

That approach would involve pumping heavy drilling mud and possibly cement into the well, much like BP's failed "top kill" effort in May.

From Reuters ● Jul. 22, 2010

The process, known as top kill, fails to overcome the flow of oil.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 29, 2010

What had been a kind of détente between reporters and BP broke down at the end of May, when the efforts at a top kill were clearly failing but the company refused to acknowledge it.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2010

But if the top kill fails, expect the gloves to come off.

From Newsweek ● May 26, 2010

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