often attributive
1
a
: a material used to produce heat or power by burning
b
: nutritive material
c
: a material from which atomic energy can be liberated especially in a reactor
2
: a source of sustenance or incentive : reinforcement
fueled or fuelled; fueling or fuelling
1
: to provide with fuel
: to take in fuel
—often used with up
Examples of fuel in a Sentence
Noun
I had the fuel pump replaced on my car.
These latest scandals will provide further fuel for his political opponents.
These latest accusations will only add fuel to the controversy.
The controversy continues to rage, and these latest accusations will only add fuel to the fire.
Verb
The airplanes were fueled in midair.
The criticism she has faced has only fueled her determination to succeed.
Inflation was fueled by high prices.
The strong economy has fueled the construction of new homes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Protests fuel censorship fears The outage overlapped with protests in Minneapolis, where federal authorities deployed thousands of agents in early January.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Mia Glass, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Such a posture could pose a major risk of yearslong inflation fueled by a rise in consumer demand, untethered by interest rates.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fuel
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Noun
Geopolitical tensions, from ongoing conflicts to trade frictions, add fuel to gold’s safe-haven appeal.
—Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Protests fuel censorship fears The outage overlapped with protests in Minneapolis, where federal authorities deployed thousands of agents in early January.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
The yen touched its strongest level since October in US trading Tuesday after comments from Japanese officials, including just recently the finance minister, fueled speculation that the government may intervene in the market to prevent the currency from resuming its decline.
—Mia Glass, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Such a posture could pose a major risk of yearslong inflation fueled by a rise in consumer demand, untethered by interest rates.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fuel
Cite this Entry
“Fuel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fuel. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fuel
1 of 2 noun
fu·el
ˈfyü(-ə)l 
1
a
: a material used to produce heat or power by burning
b
: a material from which atomic energy can be produced especially in a reactor
2
: a source of energy
fuel
2 of 2 verb
fueled or fuelled; fueling or fuelling
: to supply with or take in fuel
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