wellhead

American  

[wel-hed] / ˈwɛlˌhɛd /

noun

1. a fountainhead; source.

2. Also called wellhouse.  a shelter for a well.

3. the assemblage of equipment attached to the opening of an oil or gas well.

---

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to petroleum, natural gas, etc., at the place and time at which it leaves the ground.

   a wellhead price.

wellhead British  

/ ˈwɛlˌhɛd /

noun

1. the source of a well or stream

2. a source, fountainhead, or origin

---

Etymology

Origin of wellhead

First recorded in 1300–50, wellhead is from the Middle English word welleheved. See well ², head

Example Sentences

The plant can process up to 1.6 billion cubic feet a day of wellhead gas and convert it into 140,000 barrels a day of gas-to-liquids.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Mads Gade, CEO of Ineos Energy points to the huge pipes of the wellhead which, for decades, carried oil and gas up from below the seabed.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Last week Cactus acquired 65% of Baker Hughes’ wellhead business for $345 million in cash, and it has the right to buy the rest.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

John D. Rockefeller controlled oil — from wellhead to gas pump.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026

At the same time the wellhead price of U.S. oil dropped to $9.25 a barrel.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• geyser
• reservoir
• stream