fossil fuels
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All fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide when burned. (See greenhouse effect.)
Burning fossil fuels is a main cause of air pollution.
All of these fuels were formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Steyer, 68, made his fortune founding a hedge fund that included investments in fossil fuels, private prisons and other businesses that are controversial among Democrats.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Chief Executive Meg O’Neill oversees a shift back to fossil fuels after a failed renewables foray and Chairman Albert Manifold’s firing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Last year's summit in Brazil ended with a modest pact that failed to explicitly mention fossil fuels and many nations fear a repeat unless stronger leadership is shown.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
When used as a fuel, it produces only water and heat rather than carbon dioxide and other pollutants associated with fossil fuels.
From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026
The principal energy sources of our present industrial civilization are the so-called fossil fuels.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
