fuel

fu|el¹ W2S2 [ˈfju:əl] n

[Date: 1100-1200; : Old French; Origin: fouaille, from feu 'fire', from Latin focus; FOCUS¹]

[U and C]

a substance such as coal, gas, or oil that can be burned to produce heat or energy

▪ The plane was running low on fuel.

▪ Coal is one of the cheapest fuels.

▪ the car's performance and fuel consumption (=how much fuel it uses to travel a particular distance)

▪ an empty fuel tank

→add fuel to the fire/flames at ↑add

fuel ²

fuel² v past tense and past participle fuelled present participle fuelling BrE past tense and past participle fueled present participle fueling AmE

1.) [T]

to make something, especially something bad, increase or become stronger

▪ His words fuelled her anger still more.

fuel speculation/rumours/controversy etc

▪ Progress was slow, fueling concerns that the stadium would not be finished on time.

2.) also fuel up [I and T]

if you fuel a vehicle or if it fuels up, fuel is put into it

▪ We'd better fuel up at the next town.

▪ The van was fuelled and waiting in the basement car park.