Meaning & use

combustible rock

noun·Academic

A rock that can catch fire and burn, most commonly coal, formed from compressed ancient plant matter.

See it in a sentence

Coal is the best-known combustible rock, mined for use as fuel worldwide.

Geologists classify oil shale as a combustible rock because it contains enough organic material to burn.

A note on using this word

The phrase most often refers to coal, though shale and other rocks rich in organic material can also be combustible.

Words with a similar meaning

fuel rock

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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