top kill

American  

noun

1. 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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top kill British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of top kill

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Prosecutors had argued that some of the messages suggested that company officials knew that an effort to stop the leak in the early days of the 2010 spill — a procedure known as a top kill — would most likely fail, largely because of the overwhelming amount of oil flowing out of the stricken well.

From New York Times

For months none of these efforts — with nicknames like “junk shot,” “top kill” and “top hat” — worked.

From New York Times

At one point after the April 2010 spill, BP touted the chances of stopping the leak with a so-called top kill that pumped heavyweight drilling mud into the well.

From Reuters

At one point after the April 2010 spill, BP touted the chances of stopping with leak with a so-called top kill that pumped heavyweight drilling mud into the well.

From Reuters

Parbuckling is one of those terms like top kill, containment vessel or Syndrome that you don’t learn until an rig blows up or a nuclear reactor goes down or something else goes terribly wrong.

From Time