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fuel oil

American  

noun

  1. an oil used for fuel, especially one used as a substitute for coal, as crude petroleum.


fuel oil British  

noun

  1. a liquid petroleum product having a flash point above 37.8°C: used as a substitute for coal in industrial furnaces, domestic heaters, ships, and locomotives

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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In April, exports rose 2.6 percent to $327.1 billion, fueled by crude oil, fuel oil and other petroleum products.

From Barron's Jun. 9, 2026

The visit comes a day after Cuba’s government said the country had run out of fuel oil and diesel needed to keep the lights on.

From The Wall Street Journal May 14, 2026

The average price of very low-sulfur fuel oil has risen 70% to $925 per metric ton at the world’s top ports since the war started.

From Los Angeles Times May 8, 2026

Prices for fuel oil jumped more than 30% in the biggest surge since February 2000.

From BBC Apr. 10, 2026

When the Soviet Union stopped supplying cheap fuel oil in the early 1990s, city-based, oil-powered generators sputtered to a halt.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

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