: a colorless odorless gaseous alkane C2H6 found in natural gas and used as a fuel
Examples of ethane in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These lakes and Titan's seas are filled with liquid hydrocarbons like ethane and methane rather than water.
—
Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 July 2025
Beijing agreed to resume shipments of rare earths while Washington offered to ease some export restrictions on ethane, chip-design software and jet engine components.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 July 2025
But that headline figure includes a sizable share of natural gas liquids—byproducts like ethane and propane that aren’t typically directly used as transportation fuels but may function as refinery feedstock.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Reuters reported this week that the US Commerce Department has allowed ethane traders to load ethane on vessels bound for China.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
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Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 July 2025
Beijing agreed to resume shipments of rare earths while Washington offered to ease some export restrictions on ethane, chip-design software and jet engine components.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 July 2025
But that headline figure includes a sizable share of natural gas liquids—byproducts like ethane and propane that aren’t typically directly used as transportation fuels but may function as refinery feedstock.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Reuters reported this week that the US Commerce Department has allowed ethane traders to load ethane on vessels bound for China.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethane
Cite this Entry
“Ethane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethane. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ethane
noun
eth·ane
ˈeth-ˌān 
: a colorless odorless gas that consists of carbon and hydrogen, is found in natural gas, and is used especially as a fuel
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