fracking

/ˈfrækɪŋ/

/ˈfrækɪŋ/

Fracking is a method of extracting natural gas and oil that are trapped in underground rocks in order to use them for fuel. Fracking is controversial, especially among environmentalists.

The term fracking is a 21st-century word, first appearing in jargon used by engineers as shorthand for "hydraulic fracturing." This is the engineering process that blasts very high-pressure jets of water underground, flushing out deposits of oil and gas that would otherwise be almost impossible to reach. The use of such enormous quantities of water, and the pollution that results, are just two of the downsides of fracking.

Definitions of fracking

1. noun

   a method of extracting natural gas or oil from rock by injecting liquid at high pressure
   type of:

   extraction

   the process of obtaining something from a mixture or compound by chemical or physical or mechanical means