methane

noun

meth·​ane ˈme-ˌthān 

British usually ˈmē-

: 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

Recent Examples on the Web

The rest was onshore coalbed methane, or coal seam gas, and those resources aren’t in growth mode either. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

His frenetic morning gets worse from there, when there is an explosion at his company’s drilling operation to extract oil in Greenland, thanks to all that methane under the ice. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026

Raptors burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX), rather than rocket-grade kerosene and LOX like Merlins, so the new Starship-friendly 39A needs a new tank farm to feed in this different mix of propellant. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Unlike conventional rockets that use refined kerosene or hydrogen, Starship’s Raptor engines are designed around methane, making a reliable gas supply an important part of SpaceX’s launch infrastructure. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for methane

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids 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

Medical Definition

methane

noun

meth·​ane

ˈmeth-ˌān, British usually ˈmē-ˌthān

: a colorless, odorless, flammable, gaseous hydrocarbon CH₄ that is lighter than air, forms explosive mixtures with air or oxygen, and occurs naturally as a by-product of the decomposition of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria

called also marsh gas