: 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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For example, Erin Brockovich-style reporting is finding that in Memphis, Tennessee, Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer, Colossus, is worsening air quality due to its massive use of methane-gas turbines, emitting a smog of nitrogen oxides and toxic formaldehyde.
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Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
If the team finds irrefutable signs of an atmosphere, even more Webb telescope observations could be warranted in the hopes of detecting specific chemical signatures of gases such as methane, which is associated with life on Earth.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
This 2009 legal decision says greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are warming the Earth and that warming presents a threat to public health and welfare.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
Starship's powerful Raptor engines are fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid methane — both of which require cryogenic cooling to maintain their liquid states, and will need to be transferred between vehicles for refueling in order to reach any destination beyond low Earth orbit (LEO).
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2025
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Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
If the team finds irrefutable signs of an atmosphere, even more Webb telescope observations could be warranted in the hopes of detecting specific chemical signatures of gases such as methane, which is associated with life on Earth.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
This 2009 legal decision says greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane are warming the Earth and that warming presents a threat to public health and welfare.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
Starship's powerful Raptor engines are fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid methane — both of which require cryogenic cooling to maintain their liquid states, and will need to be transferred between vehicles for refueling in order to reach any destination beyond low Earth orbit (LEO).
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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