diesel

noun

die·​sel ˈdē-zəl How to pronounce diesel (audio)
-səl
1
2
: a vehicle driven by a diesel engine
3

Examples of diesel in a Sentence

Does your car take diesel or gasoline?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The last time the state food sales tax rate was cut was during the Haslam administration, when the grocery tax was reduced from 5% to 4% in the IMPROVE Act, which put in place a higher gas and diesel tax. Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 Several thousand gallons of diesel were recovered from the scene. Adrienne Davis, jsonline.com, 2 July 2025 The semi also lost one of its diesel fuel tanks and about 100 gallons of diesel spilled in both the contraflow lane and main lanes of southbound I-75 just as the morning commute began, police and ODOT told Enquirer media partner Fox19. Jennifer Edwards Baker, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Hundreds of thousands of people in Colorado have been urged to avoid driving gas and diesel vehicles on Thursday amid an air pollution warning. Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for diesel

Word History

Etymology

Rudolf Diesel

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of diesel was in 1894

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diesel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diesel. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

diesel

noun
die·​sel ˈdē-zəl How to pronounce diesel (audio)
-səl
1
2
: a vehicle (as a truck or train) driven by a diesel engine
3
: a fuel designed for use in diesel engines
Etymology

named for Rudolf Diesel 1858–1913 German engineer

Biographical Definition

Diesel

biographical name

Die·​sel ˈdē-zəl How to pronounce Diesel (audio)
-səl
Rudolf 1858–1913 German mechanical engineer

More from Merriam-Webster on diesel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!