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methane

American  
[meth-eyn, mee-theyn] / ˈmɛθ eɪn, ˈmi θeɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

  1. a colorless, odorless, flammable gas, CH 4 , the main constituent of marsh gas and the firedamp of coal mines, obtained commercially from natural gas: the first member of the methane, or alkane, series of hydrocarbons.

methane British  
/ ˈmiːθeɪn /

noun

  1. a colourless odourless flammable gas, the simplest alkane and the main constituent of natural gas: used as a fuel. Formula: CH 4 See also marsh gas firedamp

"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
methane Scientific  
/ mĕth′ān′ /

  1. A colorless, odorless, flammable gas that is the simplest hydrocarbon. It is the major constituent of natural gas and is released during the decomposition of plant or other organic compounds, as in marshes and coal mines. Methane is the first member of the alkane series. Chemical formula: CH 4 .

Etymology

Origin of methane

First recorded in 1865–70; meth- + -ane

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.

The organism is a methane producing member of a group of microbes known as Archaea.

From Science Daily

It is made mostly of methane, along with ethane and propane.

From Science Daily

In a parallel study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, they found that water levels strongly influence how much methane escapes.

From Science Daily

"At the same time, wetter and low-oxygen conditions can increase methane, since the microbes that produce methane thrive when there is almost no oxygen in the soil."

From Science Daily

Tens of thousands of unproductive and unplugged oil wells have been abandoned across California — many of which continue to leak potentially explosive methane or toxic benzene.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.