Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Something consumed to produce energy, especially:
- n. A material such as wood, coal, gas, or oil burned to produce heat or power.
- n. Fissionable material used in a nuclear reactor.
- n. Nutritive material metabolized by a living organism; food.
- n. Something that maintains or stimulates an activity or emotion: "Money is the fuel of a volunteer organization” ( Natalie de Combray).
- v. To provide with fuel.
- v. To support or stimulate the activity or existence of: rhetoric that fueled the dissenters.
- v. To take in fuel.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Any matter which serves by combustion for the production of fire; combustible matter, as wood, coal, peat, oil, etc.
- n. Figuratively, anything that serves to feed or increase something conceived as analogous to flame, as passion or emotional excitement.
- To feed or furnish with fuel or combustible matter.
Wiktionary
- n. Substance consumed to provide energy through combustion, or through chemical or nuclear reaction.
- n. Substance that provides nourishment for a living organism; food.
- n. figuratively Something that stimulates, encourages or maintains an action.
- v. to provide fuel
- v. to exacerbate, to cause to grow or become greater
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Any matter used to produce heat by burning; that which feeds fire; combustible matter used for fires, as wood, coal, peat, etc.
- n. Anything that serves to feed or increase passion or excitement.
- v. obsolete To feed with fuel.
- v. obsolete To store or furnish with fuel or firing.
WordNet 3.0
- v. provide with fuel
- n. a substance that can be consumed to produce energy
- v. provide with a combustible substance that provides energy
- v. stimulate.
- v. take in fuel, as of a ship
Etymologies
- Old French fouaille, from feu ("fire"). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English feuel, from Old French fouaille, feuaile, from Vulgar Latin *focālia, neuter pl. of *focālis, of the hearth or fireplace, from Latin focus, hearth, fireplace. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Fossil fuel is a word made up by the Devil and promoted by the liberal media … all clear bobcat?”
Think Progress » Exxon CEO Defends Predecessor’s $400 Million Retirement Package
“Each man had three strips, one for barley, one for wheat and one for grass, besides a right to pasture a cow or a pig and obtain fuel from the common fields.”
“When the average person hears the term fuel cell, typically what comes to mind is something that mysteriously makes electricity from hydrogen.”
“By controlling the combustion process with these tiny tubes, the fuel is able to be burned in pure oxygen, which has the effect of producing pure CO2 and steam.”
“The cetane rating of the fuel is as much as 10 points higher than U.S. diesel.”
“His report is the first to measure the shortfall that some households face in heating their homes, which he calls the fuel poverty gap.”
“A study just came out today on the health costs of what they call "fuel poverty", commissioned by the Energy and Climate Change Secretary don't we need one of those?”
“It might sound like blasphemy to suggest vacationing without going anywhere, but when the cost of airline tickets or fuel is factored in and the actual hassle of traveling — especially if you have young kids — is factored in, planning a staycation starts to look pretty appealing.”
“Expenses rose 7.3%, mostly because of a 40.6% jump in fuel costs.”
“Mr. Kinahan noted this week is full of November housing data that could provide some short-term fuel for Home Depot's stock.”
The Wall Street Journal: Traders Wager on Home Depot and Norfolk
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘fuel’.
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TRAN - general terms
The vocabulary of transport policy
accident rate, cabotage, carriage of goods, carriage of passe..., carrier, co-modality, common policy in ..., complete the inte..., cross-trade, electric motor, employment and wo..., enhance safety and 176 more...
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ITRE - energy - general terms
above-market cost, access charge, actual peak load ..., affiliate, affiliated power ..., after-market, aggregation, aggregator, Alternating Curre..., Ampere, ancillary services, annual effects and 453 more...
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steffany(grade 2)
accident, agree, arrive, astronomy, attention, award, aware, balance, banner, bare, base, beach and 127 more...
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jackgrade2
accident, agree, arrive, astronomy, atlas, attention, award, aware, balance, banner, bare, base and 127 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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Band or Brand?
Band names that are also common words or phrases.
genesis, who, beatles, journey, germs, sublime, doors, cars, nirvana, bangles, tool, pixies and 192 more...
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FUN - gestures
There are thousands of sign languages and possibly millions of gestures in human communication but not all of them have a name. Some are understood everywhere, some are understood everywhere but di...
okay sign, abhayamudra, apology, beckoning sign, Bellamy salute, benediction, blessing, blah-blah, "check, please” sign, clenched fist, Chinese number ge..., Clinton thumb and 360 more...
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EU Buzz - single words (1+2+3)
1. Strictly EU terms with special European meaning used only in the EU
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2. Keywords central to the understanding of the EU (people working for the EU are usually able to give thematic...acceleration, action, additionality, administrator, agenda, agricultural, agri-environmental, agriflation, agri-food, applicant, approach, assent and 1325 more...
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Climate
population growth, climate issues, pollution, petroleum, fossil fuel, fuel, renewable energy, clean energy, hydro plant, sustainable living, greenhouse effect, hydroelectricity and 1 more...
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Pseudo-edge
The middle-aged corporate marketer's version of a teen lexicon.
ultimate, extreme, chillin, totally, bling, karma, stoke, smooth, flav, punch, ish, hype and 46 more...
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Words in which "u" is pronounced "yu"
cute, uniform, puny, municipal, butte, fume, perfume, puke, cucumber, huge, demure, cube and 87 more...
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Pronunciation
bought, instantaniously, instantaneously, world, alternative, rival, competitor, strip, fuel
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dyy's Words
ambivalence, irony, double-edged sword, paradox, struggle, plunge, buoy, pigeon-hole, ultimately, status quo, fuel, undermine and 230 more...
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Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
a, abandon, ability, able, abortion, about, above, abroad, absence, absolute, absolutely, absorb and 4334 more...
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Prosie: Obama's Inaugural Address
In keeping with my other Prosies (like this one). There were a number of phrases as well as words in this speech that I found particularly compelling.
My fellow citizens: I stand here ...we did not turn b..., when we were tested, what storms may come, icy currents, virtue, hope, alarmed, depth of winter, revolution, snow, enemy, abandoned and 257 more...
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Gotim
Aries, fire, chaos, destruction, Mars, aggression, bold, competetive, conflict, raw, black, red and 165 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for fuel.

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