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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fossil fuel

At the time, the U.S. was doing fine with its fossil fuel production.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

The remainder of planet-warming gases are released by smaller fossil fuel companies, livestock agriculture, deforestation, landfills and other activities, according to the study.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Once again, the fossil fuel industry led the way.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

He said there were so many untapped sources of energy in the world that it was ridiculous to be burning all that fossil fuel.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls