wildcatter

[ wahyld-kat-er ]

noun

1. an oil prospector.
2. a person who promotes risky or unsound business ventures.
3. a person who participates in a wildcat strike.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wildcatter¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; wildcat + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Lewis, who Forbes estimates has a net worth of $1.1 billion, struck it rich in the 1980s as a wildcatter drilling for natural gas near his home in Laredo, Texas.

From Seattle Times

Endeavor, founded by the billionaire wildcatter Autry Stephens, had become the subject of takeover speculation in oil circles over the past several months.

From New York Times

I eyed the warning warily, but the veteran miner leading our group explained that it was a fiction of his own design, one meant to keep out vandals and wildcatters.

From Los Angeles Times

Big Oil is hanging back, watching while wildcatters take on the risky exploratory work.

From Science Magazine

But Tennessee is trying to tap into our greatness like a wildcatter drilling into someone else’s oil field.

From Los Angeles Times