fuel
Americannoun
-
fuels
plural
-
combustible matter used to maintain fire, as coal, wood, oil, or gas, in order to create heat or power.
-
something that gives nourishment; food.
-
an energy source for engines, power plants, or reactors.
Kerosene is used as jet engine fuel.
-
something that sustains or encourages; stimulant.
Our discussion provided him with fuel for debate.
- Synonyms:
- stimulus, impetus, sustenance, ammunition
verb (used with object)
-
fuels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fueled,
past participle, past
-
fuelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
fueling,
present participle
-
fuelling
present participle (especially British)
verb (used without object)
-
fuels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fueled,
past participle, past
-
fuelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
fueling,
present participle
-
fuelling
present participle (especially British)
noun
-
any substance burned as a source of heat or power, such as coal or petrol
-
-
the material, containing a fissile substance, such as uranium-235, that produces energy in a nuclear reactor
-
a substance that releases energy in a fusion reactor
-
-
something that nourishes or builds up emotion, action, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
fuelernoun
-
fuellernoun
-
defuelverb (used with object)
-
nonfueladjective
-
unfueledadjective
-
well-fueledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fuelsimple
-
fuelssimple
-
have fueledperfect
-
have fuelledperfect
-
has fueledperfect
-
has fuelledperfect
-
am fuelingprogressive
-
am fuellingprogressive
-
are fuelingprogressive
-
are fuellingprogressive
-
is fuelingprogressive
-
is fuellingprogressive
-
have been fuelingperfect progressive
-
have been fuellingperfect progressive
-
has been fuelingperfect progressive
-
has been fuellingperfect progressive
Past
-
fueledsimple
-
fuelledsimple
-
had fueledperfect
-
had fuelledperfect
-
was fuelingprogressive
-
was fuellingprogressive
-
were fuelingprogressive
-
were fuellingprogressive
-
had been fuelingperfect progressive
-
had been fuellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fuel
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English feuel, fuel(le), from Old French feuaile, from Vulgar Latin focālia (unrecorded), neuter plural of focālis (unrecorded) “of the hearth, fuel,” from Latin focus “hearth” ( see focus) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
What do you and your car have in common? You both run on fuel. Whether its gasoline or nutritious food, fuel produces energy to get up and go. Fuel can also act as a verb that has several different meanings, all related to stimulating something or providing energy. Your brother might fuel up on whole-wheat bread with peanut butter a few hours before a big game. A teacher assigns readings to fuel meaningful class discussion. Memories of your mom's delicious dinners might fuel your desire to learn to cook.
Vocabulary lists containing fuel
Word Generation Science - Energy
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Engineering - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chemical Reactions - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Teearu said the organisation is having to spend thousands to fuel its vans and depot and covering covering staff costs, with spending reaching nearly £500,000 every year.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Both main crude contracts rose more than one percent Tuesday, and the lack of any progress in ending the conflict continues to put upward pressure on fuel costs.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
But a phenomenon known as El Niño may have made this one more likely, and it’s threatening to fuel other extreme weather around the world for months to come.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
But a lack of progress over the weekend reignited fears of higher-for-longer fuel costs that could lift prices across the economy and spur further interest-rate hikes from the Federal Reserve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
By then, the melting fuel rods had probably already begun to pool at the bottom of the reactor in a molten mass called corium.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
El Niño began long before humans started burning fossil fuels.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Diesel primarily fuels commercial vehicles in the US – such as freight trucks, farm machinery, and cargo trains – which are used for transporting goods and construction.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
“And because U.S. refiners would lose part of their export market, they could simply produce less — eventually tightening the supply of other fuels at home.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The U.S., the world’s largest producer of oil, is among the last major global suppliers of diesel and other fuels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
And like most factories, the industrial farm is powered with fossil fuels.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Polo intensified quickly to become a major hurricane, fueled by warm ocean waters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
If inflation is being fueled by a strong economy and not just an energy-supply shock, it could create a big challenge for the Fed, Winograd said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is fueled with $30 billion of his fortune.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Crude futures fell as the supply fears fueled by the outage of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline eased, and oil continued to make it through the Strait of Hormuz via ship-to-ship loadings and dark transits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
When, months later, Ifemelu had the fight with Blaine, she wondered if Shan had fueled his anger, an anger she never fully understood.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The crisis has fuelled speculation that Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek was preparing to resign, though he dismissed the rumours as "baseless".
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
What followed was a huge search and rescue mission, which cost Suffolk Police more than £2m, captivated the country and fuelled conspiracy theorists.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Wildfires fuelled by El Niño are affecting around 12.5 million people across Indonesia, according to the country's health ministry.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
The discovery of hundreds of remains near a previously identified mass grave has fuelled anger among the Tamils, who have long-demanded a thorough inquiry into disappearances.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Six hundred broadcasters fuelled the boom, with Chicago’s KYW broadcasting nightly operas from 1921 onwards, and lighter fare outside the opera season.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
If the antipathy between Arab nationalists and Jewish Zionists had been the only factor fueling the violence, the Middle East might have cooled down after the end of the Cold War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Streaming grew the industry while fueling years of complaints about artist pay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
The secrecy and lack of transparency around McConnell is fueling all sorts of understandable questions.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
The factors fueling their challenges in affording a home are complex and stretch back decades, according to experts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
In addition, Shackleton allowed hot milk and sugar at regular intervals: the only way to keep going was by fueling themselves constantly.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
It is the latest in a series of storms in the Pacific, made more intense by the "super El Niño", which has warmed the ocean, fuelling the formation of storms.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
A weak yen tends to make imported goods more expensive, thus fuelling inflation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
"So you're literally fuelling up all the time."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Heat and drought have battered much of Europe this summer, fuelling a spike in heat-related mortality, wildfires, devastating many crops and dropping water levels in major rivers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
This matter of fuelling steamers is a serious one at such distances from the coal-mines; it costs the Peninsular Company some eight hundred thousand pounds a year.
From Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
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.
