fuel 1 of 2

noun

ˈfyü(-ə)l How to pronounce fuel (audio)
Definition of fuelnext
as in energy
something with a usable capacity for doing work such nonrenewable fuels as coal, petroleum, and natural gas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

fuel

2 of 2

verb

as in to power

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fuel
Noun
However, rising costs for housing, food, fuel and insurance coupled with cooling employment rends and the lowest consumer sentiment in a decade is squeezing discretionary spending. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026 Los Angeles’ airports and seaports have become major exit points for turtles and tortoises smuggled to overseas markets, with social media helping fuel demand for rare species, and smugglers often face light sentences. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
Dining here is fun, fresh, plentiful, and food is cooked to perfection—but also fuel for long game drives that will keep you feeling spritely, never weighed down. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 Day two kicked off with a talk from Sims about how women can fuel, train and recover in the best way. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fuel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fuel
  1. energy
  2. power
  3. generate
  4. fire
  5. energize
  6. push
Noun
  • But fear not, Lisa will be channeling that energy into her art.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • It was deemed Biden’s signature climate law, providing hundreds of billions of dollars for tax credits and programs to bolster the clean energy sector (much of that funding was repealed by the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act).
    — Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of energy
Verb
  • Four turboprop engines power the aircraft, giving it the performance needed for demanding military transport operations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Where to build, what to manufacture, how to source materials, which technologies to invest in and how to power an operation can all carry meaning well beyond the original business rationale.
    — Amanda Simonian, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of power
Verb
  • The ability for anyone to generate strategy, code, or creative work in seconds effectively filled in the moats built on blitzscaling overnight.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Its streaming app hosts short-form true crime audio and video shows that are fully AI-generated.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of generate
Verb
  • While many of the more contentious and controversial aspects of his life are presented in one-sided fashion, friend and former manager Rory Holloway’s still-raw sense of betrayal at Tyson firing his entire team is evoked with vivid irritation.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Gillis was fired from SNL in 2019 for racist and homophobic comments, but has been invited back to host three times since.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of fire
Verb
  • In the United States, growth has been fueled primarily by the hundreds of billions of dollars of Big Tech investment in AI projects and by consumer spending energized by gains in a stock market dominated by AI.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Fox reboot celebrates the franchise’s enduring legacy, while re-energizing it for today’s global audience.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of energize
Verb
  • Torrential rain has pushed all three waterways higher for days, spilling them over their banks in northeastern Argentina, southern Paraguay and western Uruguay.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Audit reports, supplier codes of conduct and corporate sustainability pledges have made up the bulk of brands’ efforts to push a more ecological and socially aware agenda, but times have changed.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of push

Browse Nearby Words

fuds
fuel
fueled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fuel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fuel. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fuel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fuel

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All