Meaning & use
fossil fuel
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
a fuel such as coal, oil, or natural gas formed underground from the remains of ancient living things
Grammar: Usually plural in general statements (fossil fuels), but the singular is used before another noun: fossil fuel industry.
Patterns
- burn fossil fuels
- rely on fossil fuels
- fossil fuel emissions
Many countries are trying to reduce their use of fossil fuels.
Coal, oil, and gas are all fossil fuels.
The fossil fuel industry employs thousands of people.
Word forms
| plural | fossil fuels |
|---|
Common combinations
- burn fossil fuels
- Power plants that burn fossil fuels release carbon dioxide.
- fossil fuel emissions
- Fossil fuel emissions are a major cause of global warming.
- phase out fossil fuels
- The government plans to phase out fossil fuels by 2050.
- fossil fuel reserves
- The country has large fossil fuel reserves.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nonrenewable energy
- A broader term for energy sources that cannot be replaced quickly; fossil fuels are the most common example.
Opposites
Commonly confused: fossil fuel or fossil?
fossil fuel vs fossil
A fossil is a preserved remain; fossil fuel is the fuel made from ancient remains. Don't shorten 'fossil fuel' to 'fossil'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'fossil fuel' correctly?
Choose one answer.
B correctly uses 'fossil fuels' as the plural noun for coal, oil, and gas. An is wrong because solar and wind are renewable, not fossil fuels. C confuses 'fossil fuel' with 'fossil'. D has a subject-verb agreement error: 'Fossil fuels are running out.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fossil fuel”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.