: a colorless odorless flammable gaseous hydrocarbon CH4 that is a product of biological decomposition of organic matter and of the carbonization of coal, is used as a fuel and as a starting material in chemical synthesis, and is the simplest of the alkanes
Examples of methane in a Sentence
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The spacecraft's propulsion system, based on liquid oxygen and methane, and designed in-house, worked beautifully.
—
Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
There’s also a climate benefit from composting, which can reduce damaging methane emissions from food rotting in landfills.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Dairy cows contribute more than 10 percent of US methane emissions, a super-potent greenhouse gas, and their land use, while not nearly as great as that of beef farming, is still high, occupying land that could otherwise be freed up for carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025
The Danish Air Force dispatched an F-16 interceptor, which captured images of what was unmistakably a huge gas leak: escaping methane had turned the water’s surface into a bubbling froth.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
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Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
There’s also a climate benefit from composting, which can reduce damaging methane emissions from food rotting in landfills.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Dairy cows contribute more than 10 percent of US methane emissions, a super-potent greenhouse gas, and their land use, while not nearly as great as that of beef farming, is still high, occupying land that could otherwise be freed up for carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025
The Danish Air Force dispatched an F-16 interceptor, which captured images of what was unmistakably a huge gas leak: escaping methane had turned the water’s surface into a bubbling froth.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for methane
Cite this Entry
“Methane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/methane. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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methane
noun
meth·ane
ˈmeth-ˌān 
: a colorless odorless flammable gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen and is produced by decay of organic matter
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