fossil fuel

American  

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

noun

Energy.

• fossil fuels
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fossil fuels
  plural

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fossil fuel

"SolarStratos takes another step towards its ultimate goal: reaching the stratosphere aboard a crewed electric and solar-powered aircraft, without using a single drop of fossil fuel."

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

And he raised the specter of ruinous financial liability across the fossil fuel industry if state and local lawsuits proliferate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Let me go back a step, in terms of the fossil fuel industry’s relationship with this court.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

The transition of electricity generation from large fossil fuel stations to the more remote locations used for renewables, such as offshore windfarms, will require Britain's ageing transmission grid to undergo extensive rewiring in coming years.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

But the system only works as long as fossil fuel energy is cheap.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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