How to Use ethylene in a Sentence

ethylene

noun
  • Fold or clip the top of the bag shut, which will seal the ethylene inside.
    — Beth Branch, Country Living, 26 May 2022
  • The fruit emits ethylene gas and trapping that within the bag will help the fruit ripen.
    — Becca Miller, Good Housekeeping, 28 June 2019
  • The plant would make ethylene and other plastics from shale gas.
    — cleveland.com, 17 May 2017
  • Do not keep them near apples or pears, which release ethylene gas that will harm the bulbs.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2024
  • This slows down the release of ethylene gas, which speeds up ripening.
    — Nashia Baker, Martha Stewart, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The more ethylene gas swirling around the tomatoes; the faster the ripening.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2024
  • Don't store bulbs with or near fruit, which give off ethylene gas that can interfere with growth.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
  • All of these fruits give off lots of ethylene gas, which can cause lemons in their vicinity to spoil faster.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
  • All of these fruits give off lots of ethylene gas, which can cause lemons in their vicinity to spoil faster.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 23 Apr. 2026
  • These clever faux apples absorb ethylene gas to help produce stay fresh longer in your fridge.
    — Kit Selzer, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2022
  • Make sure to store them away from fruits, which emit ethylene gas that can affect flowering.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Like apples, pears release a large amount of ethylene, the gas that causes fruit to ripen.
    — Audrey Bruno, SELF, 19 Sep. 2018
  • The expansion will give Freeport the largest ethylene plant in the world.
    — Ryan Maye Handy, Houston Chronicle, 14 Dec. 2017
  • Inside the clock is a capsule filled with ethylene chloride gas.
    — Carol Besler, Robb Report, 13 Apr. 2022
  • Place hard avocados in a paper bag and fold or roll down the top to close the bag to trap ethylene.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2024
  • This slows the release of ethylene and helps delay ripening, and extends their shelf life by a few days.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Fruits like apples produce ethylene gas when ripe, which prompts all the other apples to ripen too.
    — Aliza Abarbanel, Bon Appetit, 20 Feb. 2018
  • There are certain fruits that produce a high amount of ethylene, thus speeding up the ripening process.
    — Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Apples, bananas and pears produce the most ethylene gas, so store them away from other fruits.
    — Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 14 June 2023
  • Riper bananas emit more ethylene, which can speed up the ripening of nearby bananas.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Make sure to store them away from ethylene-producing produce that can speed up spoiling.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Ripe bananas release more ethylene, which can speed up the ripening of greener fruit.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Bananas and apples both produce ethylene gas, which can speed up the ripening process.
    — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2023
  • Bananas and apples both produce ethylene gas, which can speed up the ripening process.
    — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2023
  • Green tomatoes, if at least halfway mature, will turn red when exposed to ethylene.
    — Jeff Lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Sep. 2019
  • Fruits and vegetables release ethylene gas, which can speed up the wilting process.
    — Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 11 May 2023
  • Tomatoes ride in a truck surrounded by ethylene gas that turns them red but not really ripe.
    — Jonathan Takiff, Philly.com, 26 Dec. 2017
  • When certain fresh foods are stored close together, ethylene can speed up the ripening—and spoilage—process.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Oil is a feedstock used to make ethylene, so higher oil prices drive up the cost of polyethylene.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 26 May 2026
  • Roses need air circulation to prevent the build-up of ethylene gas that ages a bloom.
    — Alicia Ault, Smithsonian, 14 Mar. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethylene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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