: 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 researchers mixed ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen in a glass bulb, then sprayed the gases with water mist, using a high-speed camera to capture faint flashes of microlightning in the vapor.
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Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Before adopting the satellite project, California tracked methane plumes using conventional aircraft.
—Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
That's why one key climate solution is electrification — switching from climate-warming methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, to electric appliances and heaters powered by an increasingly cleaner grid.
—Jeff Brady, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025
Molecular Life Source Next, the researchers sent sprays of room temperature water into a gas mixture including nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases, all of which are thought to have been around on early Earth.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
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Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Before adopting the satellite project, California tracked methane plumes using conventional aircraft.
—Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2025
That's why one key climate solution is electrification — switching from climate-warming methane, the main ingredient in natural gas, to electric appliances and heaters powered by an increasingly cleaner grid.
—Jeff Brady, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025
Molecular Life Source Next, the researchers sent sprays of room temperature water into a gas mixture including nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases, all of which are thought to have been around on early Earth.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 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 21 Apr. 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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