Fossil fuel is fuel such as coal or oil that is formed from the decayed remains of plants or animals.
fossil fuel in British English
noun
any naturally occurring carbon or hydrocarbon fuel, such as coal, petroleum, peat, and natural gas, formed by the decomposition of prehistoric organisms
fossil fuel in American English
an organic substance, as coal, petroleum, etc., found underground in deposits formed in a previous geologic period and used as a source of energy
fossil fuel in Automotive Engineering
(fɒsəl fyuəl)
Word forms: (regular plural) fossil fuels
noun
(Automotive engineering: Fuels, oils, emissions, and other fluids)
Fossil fuel is fuel such as coal or oil that is formed from the decayed remains of plants oranimals.
Burning fossil fuels uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide.
The government thinks it would be a good idea if 10 percent of all new cars ran onhydrogen instead of fossil fuels within a decade.
All fossil fuels are composed of compounds of the elements carbon and hydrogen.
fuel
Examples of 'fossil fuel' in a sentence
fossil fuel
The agreement means making serious cuts in the reliance on fossil fuels.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Natural gas burns more cleanly than other fossil fuels.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If we can move away from fossil fuels we might halt warming sea temperatures.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Carbon monoxide is produced when fossil fuels burn without a good air supply.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Experts predict the element will help the world move away from fossil fuels and into a new era of battery powered energy.
The Sun (2017)
Oil companies reject this scenario, arguing that fossil fuels will be consumed for a long time to come.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One difference between refuelling an EV compared with a fossil fuel vehicle is the time spent at the pump.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It allows us to keep using fossil fuels but at a relatively low cost,' he said.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Investors may find that their money is funding activities at odds with their values, with significant tracker investments in sectors such as tobacco and fossil fuels.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The gases can be caused by burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal.
The Sun (2009)
Unlike fossil fuel plants it is carbon neutral.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They can switch from fossil fuels to less polluting energy sources.
Radford, Tim & Leggett, Jeremy The Crisis of Life on Earth - our legacy from the second millenium (1990)
Natural gas is a fossil fuel.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Our favourite fossil fuel is oil.
The Sun (2009)
Oil and other fossil fuels would have to fill the gap, he said.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
This is a tax on energy, carbon or fossil fuels.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It's my view that we cannot just continue with fossil fuels.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Plainly put, nations burn fossil fuels not to annoy the environmentalists but because they support economic growth.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I have no confidence that fossil fuel energy is going to be competitive.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
A theory which said that the burning of fossil fuels was dangerous.
The Sun (2013)
And in winter - fossil fuel or not - repair or replacement is nigh on impossible.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The huge economic growth of the past 150 years has been built on fossil fuels - oil and coal.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The carbon dioxide in vehicle exhaust derives from oil, a fossil fuel, formed many millions of years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In this country, more than threequarters of the grid's power comes from the fossil fuels of gas andcoal.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
A key reason was that predictions of fossil fuel use rely heavily on economic predictions, which have been shown to be almost useless.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Over a third of world energy is based on coal, the remainder mainly on oil and gas - all fossil fuels.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Coal is on its way out and, while gas importantly emits the least carbon of any fossil fuel, it cannot carry the load on its own.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A few years ago environmentalists argued that fertiliser would soon run short, because it is made using natural gas, a fossil fuel.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
fossil fuel
British English: fossil fuel NOUN
Fossil fuel is fuel such as coal or oil that is formed from the decayed remains of plants or animals.
Burning fossil fuels uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide.