natural gas

noun

1
: gas issuing from the earth's crust through natural openings or bored wells
especially : a combustible mixture of methane and other hydrocarbons used chiefly as a fuel and raw material
2
: gas manufactured from organic matter (such as coal)

Examples of natural gas in a Sentence

a house heated by natural gas
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Despite environmental concerns with recovering helium from natural gas, there are also opportunities, said Greeshma Gadikota, director of the Lenfast Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University. — Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 Most industrial hydrogen today is stripped from natural gas, a process that releases large amounts of carbon dioxide. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 The premier beneficiary of this dynamic is Kinder Morgan, which physically moves about 40% of all natural gas consumed in the United States. — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 And this year’s spike in fuel prices—particularly natural gas—has made local power more appealing. — Justin Worland, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for natural gas

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of natural gas was in 1825

Rhymes for natural gas

See All Rhymes for natural gas

Browse Nearby Words

natural function
natural gas
natural gasoline
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Natural gas.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural%20gas. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

natural gas

noun
: gas that comes from the earth's crust through natural openings or bored wells
especially : a flammable mixture of hydrocarbons and especially methane used chiefly as a fuel and raw material

More from Merriam-Webster on natural gas

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about natural gas

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All