nuclear fuel

[noo-klee-er fyoo-uhl, nyoo-]

noun

1. Physics.,  fissile or fertile material that undergoes fission in a nuclear reactor.

2. any light element, as hydrogen or helium, that undergoes fusion and gives off energy within the interior of stars.

nuclear fuel

noun

1. a fuel that provides nuclear energy, used in nuclear power stations, nuclear submarines, etc

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear ( def. ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuclear fuel¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

While uranium 235 fissions easily, nuclear fuel is not pure—it is made mostly of uranium 238, which does not fission.

Read more on Literature

And the exemption even partially dovetails with the European Commission demand to all member states to end the import of Russian oil, gas and nuclear fuel by the end of 2027.

Read more on BBC

Concerned about the fallout from such a massive blast, Sakharov’s team had removed some of the nuclear fuel, lowering the bomb’s yield to fifty megatons—still, by far, the largest human-made explosion in history.

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One of the major unresolved questions is where South Korea gets the nuclear fuel to power the submarine.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The reactor uses standard kinds of nuclear fuel and management says it can operate continuously at full power for 15 years without refueling.

Read more on Barron's