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Hydraulic fracturing is a technique in which a liquid is injected under high pressure into a well in order to create tiny fissures in the rock deep beneath the earth which then allow gas and oil to flow into the well. The term "hydraulic fracturing" is first known to have appeared in print in a 1948 issue of Oil & Gas Journal. A 1953 issue of the same journal also contains the earliest known print use of "fracking." The word fracking (sometimes spelled fraccing or fracing, particularly by those in the gas and oil industries) was created by shortening "fracturing." The addition of the "k" brings the word into conformity with the inflected forms of similar English words ending in a vowel plus "c," such as shellacking, panicking, and frolicking.
Examples of fracking in a Sentence
Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Combined with additional research and development by private energy companies, the Energy Department helped develop fracking and horizontal drilling.
—Margaret E. Kosal, The Conversation, 12 Jan. 2025
Tommy doesn’t have any patience for her misgivings about advocating for fracking, which is part of the process.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Jan. 2025
During her 2020 presidential run, Harris supported a ban on fracking, but has backed away from that stance since becoming the Democratic nominee.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near fracking
Cite this Entry
“Fracking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fracking. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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