fuel
combustible matter used to maintain fire, as coal, wood, oil, or gas, in order to create heat or power.
something that gives nourishment; food.
an energy source for engines, power plants, or reactors: Kerosene is used as jet engine fuel.
something that sustains or encourages; stimulant: Our discussion provided him with fuel for debate.
to supply with fuel.
to obtain or replenish fuel.
Origin of fuel
1Other words for fuel
Other words from fuel
- fu·el·er; (especially British) fu·el·ler, noun
- de·fu·el, verb (used with object), de·fu·eled, de·fu·el·ing or (especially British) de·fu·elled, de·fu·el·ling.
- non·fu·el, adjective
- un·fu·eled; (especially British) un·fu·elled, adjective
- well-fueled; (especially British) well-fuelled, adjective
Words Nearby fuel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fuel in a sentence
Instead, Johnson and co-founder and CTO Julie Blumreiter have developed a way to modify the internal components of the engine to alter its thermodynamics to be able to quickly ignite and combust decarbonized fuels.
ClearFlame Engine Technologies takes aim at cleaning up diesel engines | Kirsten Korosec | September 17, 2020 | TechCrunchThat’s the ongoing power of the fossil fuel industry at work.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money. | Sigal Samuel | September 17, 2020 | VoxIt’s also risky to do prescribed burns or allow natural fires to rage, since the fuels are so built up in many places, Westerling says.
Suppressing fires has failed. Here’s what California needs to do instead. | James Temple | September 17, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewEven if solar and wind power continue to grow rapidly, they simply can’t displace the vast quantities of fossil fuels used to run industrial processes or generate electricity.
To confront the climate crisis, the US should launch a National Energy Innovation Mission | Amy Nordrum | September 15, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewNikola said Hindenburg took a comment made by an employee of Robert Bosch GmbH, a supplier and investor in the company, out of context and underestimated its capabilities to produce hydrogen for its fuel cell-powered trucks.
Nikola releases fuller denial of short seller Hindenburg’s allegations | radmarya | September 14, 2020 | Fortune
But Sanders, a representative of the Northeastern vacation state of Vermont, also opposes fossil fuel development.
Added fuel to the fire, he said—as in, the fire was already burning.
The company also converts the gas into a liquid fuel that can run vehicles in its fleet.
Adding fuel to the fire was an often ugly war of words between Mr. Gelb and the unions, both in the press and on social media.
As they passed the runway, bullets shot up from the tall grass, puncturing a fuel tank.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe hills in sight, however, are very considerably wooded, and wood is apparently the common fuel.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyAdequate, of course; no sense in taking chances with lives that cost so much fuel to bring here.
Fee of the Frontier | Horace Brown FyfeShe arrived in Liverpool on the 22d June, having consumed her fuel in ten days.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThe mountains are covered with wood fit for fuel, mining, architecture, and machinery.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickSometimes the sheds are built near the woods where fuel can be procured, and in the immediate vicinity of the tobacco field.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
British Dictionary definitions for fuel
/ (fjʊəl) /
any substance burned as a source of heat or power, such as coal or petrol
the material, containing a fissile substance, such as uranium-235, that produces energy in a nuclear reactor
a substance that releases energy in a fusion reactor
something that nourishes or builds up emotion, action, etc
to supply with or receive fuel
Origin of fuel
1Derived forms of fuel
- fueller or US fueler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fuel
[ fyōō′əl ]
A substance that produces useful energy when it undergoes a chemical or nuclear reaction. Fuel such as coal, wood, oil, or gas provides energy when burned. Compounds in the body such as glucose are broken down into simpler compounds to provide energy for metabolic processes. Some radioactive substances, such as plutonium and tritium, provide energy by undergoing nuclear fission or fusion.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with fuel
see add fuel to the fire.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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