FUEL (fuelled, fuelling)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: fuelled    , fuelling   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fuel mean? 

• FUEL (noun)
  The noun FUEL has 1 sense:

1. a substance that can be consumed to produce energy

  Familiarity information: FUEL used as a noun is very rare.

• FUEL (verb)
  The verb FUEL has 4 senses:

1. provide with a combustible substance that provides energy

2. provide with fuel

3. take in fuel, as of a ship

4. stimulate

  Familiarity information: FUEL used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FUEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A substance that can be consumed to produce energy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Context example:

they developed alternative fuels for aircraft

Hypernyms ("fuel" is a kind of...):

substance (a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fuel"):

butane (occurs in natural gas; used in the manufacture of rubber and fuels)

igniter; ignitor; lighter (a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire)

firewood (wood used for fuel)

water gas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide with small amounts of other gases; made by blowing steam over hot coke or coal)

combustible; combustible material (a substance that can be burned to provide heat or power)

red fire (combustible material (usually salts of lithium or strontium) that burns bright red; used in flares and fireworks)

propane (colorless gas found in natural gas and petroleum; used as a fuel)

nuclear fuel (fuel (such as uranium) that can be used in nuclear reactors as a source of electricity)

methanol; methyl alcohol; wood alcohol; wood spirit (a light volatile flammable poisonous liquid alcohol; used as an antifreeze and solvent and fuel and as a denaturant for ethyl alcohol)

coal oil; kerosene; kerosine; lamp oil (a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel in lamps and heaters)

illuminant (something that can serve as a source of light)

gas; gasolene; gasoline; petrol (a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines)

gasohol (a gasoline substitute consisting of 90% gasoline and 10% grain alcohol from corn)

fuel oil; heating oil (a petroleum product used for fuel)

fossil fuel (fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content)

fire (fuel that is burning and is used as a means for cooking)

diesel fuel; diesel oil (a heavy mineral oil used as fuel in diesel engines)

coke (carbon fuel produced by distillation of coal)

coal gas (gaseous mixture produced by distillation of bituminous coal and used for heating and lighting)

charcoal; wood coal (a carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air)

biomass (plant materials and animal waste used as fuel)

Derivation:

fuel (take in fuel, as of a ship)

fuel (provide with a combustible substance that provides energy)

fuel (provide with fuel)

• FUEL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they fuel    ... he / she / it fuels   
Past simple: fueled    / fuelled   
Past participle: fueled    / fuelled   
-ing form: fueling    / fuelling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Provide with a combustible substance that provides energy

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

fuel aircraft, ships, and cars

Hypernyms (to "fuel" is one way to...):

furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fuel"):

gas up (fill with gasoline)

refuel (provide with additional fuel, as of aircraft, ships, and cars)

bunker (fill (a ship's bunker) with coal or oil)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

fuel (a substance that can be consumed to produce energy)

fueling (the activity of supplying or taking on fuel)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Provide with fuel

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

fire; fuel

Context example:

Oil fires the furnace

Hypernyms (to "fuel" is one way to...):

furnish; provide; render; supply (give something useful or necessary to)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

fuel (a substance that can be consumed to produce energy)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Take in fuel, as of a ship

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

The tanker fueled in Bahrain

Hypernyms (to "fuel" is one way to...):

take in; take up (accept)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fuel"):

refuel (take on more fuel, as of a plane, ship, or car)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

fuel (a substance that can be consumed to produce energy)

fueling (the activity of supplying or taking on fuel)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Stimulate

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Context example:

fuel the debate on creationism

Hypernyms (to "fuel" is one way to...):

excite; shake; shake up; stimulate; stir (stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

 Context examples 

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor provide the energy that fuels the reactions.

(New Organic Compounds Found in Enceladus Ice Grains, NASA)

Saturn in hard angle to Uranus will certainly fuel your creativity in a dynamic way, pushing you to find new ways of expressing your talents.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Their promixity to one another, along with the caves' and mines' natural humidity, has fueled the outbreak of one of the worst bat diseases in history: White Nose Syndrome (WNS).

(Hibernation season over, will disease-ridden bats emerge from caves and mines this spring?, NSF)

The scientists quantified the environmental effects in terms of critical zone services, including impacts on the atmosphere and on water quality, and looked at corn's societal value both as food and fuel.

(Corn better used as food than biofuel, National Science Foundation)

Living things need food or fuel for motion.

(Tiny swimming 'doughnuts' deliver the biomedical goods, National Science Foundation)

Petrobras has been working on the development of pioneering technology for the production of biodiesel from microalgae—an alternative to oil-derived fuels used in cars or any other diesel-powered vehicles.

(Petrobras considers producing biodiesel from microalgae, Agência Brasil)

A colorless gas that catches fire easily and is used as fuel.

(Butane, NCI Dictionary)

SpaceX also has adjusted its fueling procedures to minimize danger.

(SpaceX Completes Successful Rocket Launch, VOA News)

When they had retired to rest, if there was any moon or the night was star-light, I went into the woods and collected my own food and fuel for the cottage.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

The fuel had run out, and there was need to get more.

(White Fang, by Jack London)