fossil fuel

American  

[fos-uhl fyoo-uhl] / ˈfɒs əl ˈfyu əl /

noun

Energy.

1. any combustible organic material, as oil, coal, or natural gas, derived from the remains of former life.

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fossil fuel British  

noun

1. any naturally occurring carbon or hydrocarbon fuel, such as coal, petroleum, peat, and natural gas, formed by the decomposition of prehistoric organisms

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fossil fuel Scientific  

1. A hydrocarbon fuel, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from the accumulated remains of ancient plants and animals and used as fuel. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases generated by burning fossil fuels are considered to be one of the principal causes of global warming.

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Example Sentences

Nuclear fusion has the potential to one day accelerate the planet’s shift away from fossil fuels, which are the major contributors to climate change.

From Los Angeles Times

This could have the perverse effect of preventing the deployment of renewables even when they are cheaper than, and superior to, fossil fuels.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now it is pivoting back to fossil fuels fast in a bid to boost profits and its languishing stock price.

From The Wall Street Journal

He left his successor the delicate mission of repositioning the company’s strategy around the extraction of fossil fuels rather than disappointing investments in renewable energy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Emissions rules in Europe and elsewhere favor forest products over fossil fuels because trees remove carbon from the atmosphere as they grow.

From The Wall Street Journal