diesel

noun

die·​sel ˈdē-zəl 

-səl

1

: diesel engine

2

: a vehicle driven by a diesel engine

3

: diesel fuel

Examples of diesel in a Sentence

Does your car take diesel or gasoline?

Recent Examples on the Web

Damage to refineries and disrupted shipping from the wars in Iran and Ukraine have pushed diesel to record highs in many markets, feeding directly into trucking, farming, and freight costs. — Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026

Moscow — By agreeing to open Russia’s taps and release hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel into a starving global market, the Kremlin has achieved something that raw military might on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine could never deliver. — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026

Zelensky was quick to decry the deal, which undercuts one of Ukraine’s central strategies of stripping Moscow of revenue from diesel exports. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2026

The president's executive order now allows clear diesel users to use red diesel--and be taxed at the lower rate. — Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Rudolf Diesel

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing diesel

• diesel-electric
• diesel engine
• diesel fuel

Rhymes for diesel

• pedicel

Kids Definition

diesel

noun

die·​sel ˈdē-zəl 

-səl

1

: diesel engine

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 

-səl

Rudolf 1858–1913 German mechanical engineer