1 oil shale | Definition of oil shale

oil shale

noun

Definition of oil shale

: a rock (such as shale) from which oil can be recovered by distillation

Examples of oil shale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other companies could jump in with their own solvents, especially since Utah offers sizable tax credits for mining oil sands and oil shale. — Clifford Krauss, The Seattle Times, "Canadian firm tests new process to turn Utah sands into oil," 27 Aug. 2018 The organic pigments come from oil shale deposits drilled by an energy exploration company in the Taoudeni Basin in Mauritania, West Africa, about ten years ago. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Pink Was the First Color of Life on Earth," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oil shale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of oil shale

1866, in the meaning defined above

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More from Merriam-Webster on oil shale

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oil shale

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