oil shale

noun

: a rock (such as shale) from which oil can be recovered by distillation

Examples of oil shale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Germany’s Messel Pit Fossil Site contains black oil shale that has preserved even the soft tissues of tens of thousands of 47-million-year-old fossils. Sophie Bushwick, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2012 Incentive program was expected to provide millions of dollars in tax breaks for energy projects ranging from solar to nuclear to oil shale. Tim Fitzpatrick, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 July 2022 The Estonian state-owned seeks to develop Utah oil shale. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 July 2022 Moreover, there can be no increase in production of unconventional oil, including oil shale and tar sands. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2015 Sampling what appeared to be the fossil's preen glands as well as its feathers, the researchers also took samples from the oil shale sediment in which it had been found for comparison. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017 The suit specifically targets the Utah Energy Act, a policy enacted last year promoting the development of oil shale, tar sands, oil, gas and coal, as well as emission-free renewable energy sources. Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Nov. 2022 Lofty projections by the federal government and others for robust U.S. oil production growth in 2022 are proving overly optimistic, and doubts are emerging about how many barrels of oil shale drillers can add next year. Benoît Morenne, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2022 Those unconventional resources include tar sands and oil shale. Tim Fitzpatrick, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 July 2022

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

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oil shale was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near oil shale

Cite this Entry

“Oil shale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oil%20shale. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oil shale

noun
: a rock (as shale) from which oil can be recovered

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