fuel
Americannoun
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combustible matter used to maintain fire, as coal, wood, oil, or gas, in order to create heat or power.
-
something that gives nourishment; food.
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an energy source for engines, power plants, or reactors.
Kerosene is used as jet engine fuel.
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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
-
are fuelingprogressive
-
are fuellingprogressive
-
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
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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
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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:
While the fuel inflation battered JetBlue’s bottom line last quarter, improvements on the demand front are setting the company up for profitability ahead, Chief Executive Joanna Geraghty said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The ULR in its designation stands for "ultra long distance", a feat made possible by an additional 20,000-litre rear centre fuel tank being fitted to Airbus's A350-1000 model.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Over the year, the fuel and light group increased by the most, at 19%.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Higher jet fuel prices drove the larger loss, though JetBlue offset about half of the impact through higher fares and strong customer demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The night before, they had been sure that the spent fuel pools were on the brink of disaster.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Heat also fuels toxic algae blooms containing domoic acid, which contaminate the anchovy and sardine populations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
As veterinarians seek answers, mate Shadow fuels questions about whether he’s “seeing” another female.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
A refocusing on fossil fuels has coincided with a stricter capital allocation policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Amid shortages elsewhere, the U.S. has been exporting fuels including gasoline, diesel and propane at record levels.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
No fossil fuels or added fertilizer or chemicals needed.
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
If a single power source could be said to have fueled the creative work of Alice Munro, the only Canadian to win the Nobel Prize in literature, it would be her ambivalence about her mother.
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 weather has begun to dry out the landscape and in some parts of the state fueled wildfires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The cold air that rushed in gave Gerald the fresh breaths he needed, but it also fueled the anger of the flames in the apartment and in Jordan Sparks.
From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper
Boeing reported a bigger-than-expected loss Tuesday fuelled by $280 million in additional costs in outfitting two US presidential planes, but said broad-based revenue growth showed progress after several troubled years.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The unprecedented fires in France and Spain were fuelled by forests left tinder dry by successive heatwaves since May.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
It has fuelled calls for Ireland to halt exports to Russia, although alumina exports are not currently subject to European Union sanctions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Inevitably, this OpenAI hack has further fuelled fears of what could happen if AI agents are let loose.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
His personal identification with romantic heroes such as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet seemed to have fuelled not just musical inspiration but his crazed, desperate infatuation with a Shakespearean actress, Harriet Smithson.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
As summer heat settles over the Southwest, it changes the circulation in the atmosphere enough to pull up monsoonal moisture from the Pacific and Gulf of California, fueling warm rain and thunderstorms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 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
That constant anger at it had been like an energy of its own, fueling him.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Three fires in the Madrid region have caused special concerns, with a new heatwave expected to hit Spain from Wednesday, fuelling fears that firefighting efforts could be hindered.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Vast sums of money is pouring into AI businesses seeking more capital, fuelling domestic competition.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 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
The explosion in resource-hungry data centres -- housing the hardware "brains" of artificial intelligence -- is fuelling unease worldwide, with New York State and Australia the latest jurisdictions to announce new rules.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
The schoolroom was perfumed with the smoke of peat, for it was the landward pupils' week of the fuelling, and they were accustomed to bring each his own peat under his arm every morning.
From Gilian The Dreamer His Fancy, His Love and Adventure by Munro, Neil
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.
