Meanings
nounwildcat well (plural wildcat wells)
plural wildcat wells
- oil industryAn exploration well to determine the existence of petroleum in a probable hydrocarbon deposit.
[L]ater BP were planning on drilling a wildcat well, or exploration well, in the same region probably with a semi-submersible rig.
2005, Paul Carter, Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, page 164
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan exploratory oil well drilled in land not known to be an oil field
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Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
wildcat well. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wildcat%20well
MLA
“wildcat well.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wildcat%20well. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wildcat well,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wildcat%20well.
Source: wildcat well on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.