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

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

Their approach targets a major environmental challenge: rising atmospheric CO2 levels driven in large part by fossil fuel use and cement production.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

How much fossil fuel was burned to keep it refrigerated and fly it to the U.S.?

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan