fuel
Americannoun
-
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)
verb (used without object)
noun
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any substance burned as a source of heat or power, such as coal or petrol
-
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the material, containing a fissile substance, such as uranium-235, that produces energy in a nuclear reactor
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a substance that releases energy in a fusion reactor
-
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something that nourishes or builds up emotion, action, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fuelernoun
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fuellernoun
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defuelverb (used with object)
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nonfueladjective
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unfueledadjective
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well-fueledadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fuelsimple
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fuelssimple
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have fueledperfect
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have fuelledperfect
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has fueledperfect
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has fuelledperfect
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am fuelingprogressive
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am fuellingprogressive
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are fuelingprogressive
-
are fuellingprogressive
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is fuelingprogressive
-
is fuellingprogressive
-
have been fuelingperfect progressive
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have been fuellingperfect progressive
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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
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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:
"We know that climate change is adding more fuel to the fire," Hazen said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
An Instagram post tagged with the location "Who Knows" only added fuel to the speculation.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The truce reached in 2022 was meant to ultimately ease restrictions on fuel imports and flights.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The findings provide strong evidence that prescribed burning can help protect sequoia groves by reducing the amount of fuel available when a major wildfire arrives.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
After nearly ten hours in the air, his fuel running out, Maultsby put his plane down on a strip of ice at a government radar station in Kotzebue, on the western edge of Alaska.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
As veterinarians seek answers, mate Shadow fuels questions about whether he’s “seeing” another female.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
From building wind turbines to reinforcing power grids for rising demand from electric cars, transitioning from fossil fuels to greener economies will require a massive increase in metal extraction.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
And under a climate change–driven heat dome that fuels more storms, the forests are all the more susceptible to inopportune lightning strikes.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
Environmental groups Greenpeace and Uplift argued that ministers had not considered the full climate impact from burning fossil fuels which the fields would produce.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Shipping food thousands of miles and burning up fossil fuels went against his whole philosophy as a farmer.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Within a few short weeks, an ongoing outbreak of Cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that can contaminate raw fruits and vegetables — and lead to several unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms — has fueled a nationwide panic.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
The weather has begun to dry out the landscape and in some parts of the state fueled wildfires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Utah’s ongoing measles outbreak, fueled in part by a lack of uniform quarantining efforts, has lasted more than a year and spread to nearly every county in the state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
It also fueled his irritability and erratic behavior, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The fire that had kept Seabiscuit frustrated and unruly now fueled a bounding will to win.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat last year, he said movies from black American film-makers, such as Love and Basketball, Friday and Mahogany inspired him "to dream a bit" and fuelled his own love of movies.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The race to build data centres that power artificial intelligence has fuelled a global memory chip shortage while causing business to boom for the companies that produce them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The attack immediately revived memories of a series of deadly assaults that have shaken Germany in recent years and fuelled fierce debate over security.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Second-quarter net profit rose to 1.27 billion euros from 929 million euros in the first quarter, despite the company having no assets in the Middle East, where hostilities have fuelled higher crude prices.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 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
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ is fueling renewed demand for Imax 70mm, shining a spotlight on the specialty theaters and projectionists keeping analog film alive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The surprise release of a breakthrough artificial-intelligence model from China intensified a selloff in chip stocks on Friday, fueling concerns about competition in AI and massive corporate spending that underpins its build-out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Efforts to prove their masculinity are so over-the-top that they inevitably read more as anxious than tough, revealing the deep well of insecurity fueling the movement.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
US inflation has already been above the Fed's two percent target for around five years, fueling concerns.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 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
France has been battered by three heatwaves since May as part of increasingly common extreme weather episodes linked to climate change, causing excess deaths, drying up rivers and fuelling wildfires.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
One factor fuelling outsider interest in Bozeman, according to many, was the "Yellowstone Effect" – transplants drawn to the state by the fictitious runaway hit drama Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
"It is important to raise the profile of male infertility. But are we fuelling that worry unnecessarily?"
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Muñoz also points to other factors fuelling this particular surge: the Covid pandemic delaying routine jabs, a lack of regular measles-rubella mass vaccination campaigns since 2020, overcrowding and Eid holiday travel.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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 Verne, Jules
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.
