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 Meeks believes the price of hydrogen should fall toward parity with diesel over the next three years as the fuel becomes more common. Paul Berger, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023 Vessels from the Turkish terminal have then delivered such products to Motor Oil Hellas, which sells naval diesel to the U.S. military. Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023 People in Georgia will keep paying no state taxes on gasoline and diesel, at least until state lawmakers start a special legislative session. Jeff Amy, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023 Cost remains a big hurdle: An electric school bus can cost three times as much as a $100,000 diesel bus. Ivan Penn, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023 The engine is a 13 L diesel with two-stage turbocharging and a 13-speed transmission. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 27 Oct. 2023 Electric cars are now cheaper than gas or diesel over their lifetime and will soon be just as cheap to buy upfront. WIRED, 15 Nov. 2023 Nigeria is a major market, given its persistent electricity issues and the movement to shift away from diesel generators to renewables for backup energy. Christine Ro, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Outside, past a heavy steel door, is an equipment room with two rumbling diesel generators, one of which featured an intake vent covered in duct tape. Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diesel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near diesel

Cite this Entry

“Diesel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diesel. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

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

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