hydraulic fracturing

American

noun

a process in which fractures in rocks below the earth's surface are opened and widened by injecting chemicals and liquids at high pressure: used especially to extract natural gas or oil.

Etymology

Origin of hydraulic fracturing

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

Much of that growth came from unconventional drilling, including hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling from geologic formations such as shale rock.

From MarketWatch

The company, which uses hydraulic fracturing technology to tap the earth’s heat, now has larger projects in the works, including one in Utah that is slated to start producing power this year.

From The Wall Street Journal

By drilling horizontally and injecting water underground at high pressures—similarly to how oil companies use hydraulic fracturing to get more oil out of shale rock—Fervo says it can expand the kinds of areas where geothermal energy production is possible.

From Barron's

New technologies such as hydraulic fracturing have turned it from major importer to exporter.

From Barron's

Both Liberty Energy and ProPetro, best known for their expertise in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have jumped headlong into the data- center game.

From Barron's

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