fossil fuel
nounDefinition of fossil fuel
: a fuel (such as coal, oil, or natural gas) formed in the earth from plant or animal remains
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Other Words from fossil fuel
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adjective
Examples of fossil fuel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Much of the recent opposition stems from environmentalists who have targeted the transportation of oil and natural gas as part of a broader effort to curtail production of fossil fuels, blamed for accelerating global warming. — Katherine Blunt, San Antonio Express-News, "Building pipeline support, one chicken, lamb and goat at a time," 5 July 2018 In his order to dismiss the case, Judge William Alsup, who was presiding over the lawsuit, agreed that burning fossil fuels has contributed to global warming and sea level rise. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Oil companies can’t be sued for climate change even though it’s real, judge rules," 26 June 2018 They're produced by burning fossil fuel, such as natural gas in home furnaces and water heaters — and in huge power plants that generate electricity for air conditioners and televisions. — George Skelton, latimes.com, "California is the first state to require solar panels on new homes. Here's why Big Brother is on to something," 21 May 2018 That much electricity demand would force utilities to build new power plants, and many of those new power plants would burn fossil fuels. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Bitcoin's Ridiculous Electricity Usage Has Already Doubled This Year," 17 May 2018 In a presentation of the science behind climate change, Stamnitz defined global warming as the rapid increase in the earth’s average temperature over the past century due to greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels. — Joyce Strand, Ramona Sentinel, "Indivisible Ramona forum addresses environment, degulation," 15 Apr. 2018 What is less understood is that even when governments force public utilities to buy renewables, power companies still have to use fossil fuels or uranium to keep the grid up and running when the sun and wind are off duty. — George Melloan, WSJ, "Pruitt Leaves a Proud Legacy at the EPA," 11 July 2018 One source of income Levine is no longer tapped into, according to his campaign: fossil fuels. — David Smiley, Joey Flechas And Danny Rivero, miamiherald, "Hustle and Flow: How Philip Levine made the money that’s financing his bid for governor," 10 July 2018 Under the landmark accord, nearly every country had committed to reducing emissions of planet-warming fossil fuel pollution. — New York Times, "E.P.A. Chief Scott Pruitt Resigns Under a Cloud of Ethics Scandals," 5 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fossil fuel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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