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

But what that adds up to depends on where you are, how well we prepare for these events—and, of course, how much fossil fuel we burn, which will largely determine what happens to temperatures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Instead, the researchers concluded the contamination was probably picked up while the meteorite passed through Earth's atmosphere, where it encountered aerosols produced by fossil fuel combustion.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

The answer will primarily center around its environmental impact — and whether giving away new free allowances will lead to fossil fuel pollution or air pollution that otherwise would not happen, Elkind said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

"Geothermal today is still more expensive because you are not getting as much power out of the well as you would if you were using that well for fossil fuel."

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 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