: 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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Agriculture accounts for more than 10% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, from sources such as the nitrous oxide in fertilizers, carbon dioxide from vehicles and methane from cattle.
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Raf Casert, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Oil spills from obsolete infrastructure and methane produced by the refining process ravage the environment.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for methane 
Raf Casert, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Oil spills from obsolete infrastructure and methane produced by the refining process ravage the environment.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for methane
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'methane.' 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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“Methane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/methane. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
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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