Meaning & use
fueling
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“fueling” is a form of “fuel”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
The -ing form of fuel: giving a vehicle or machine the fuel it needs to run.
Grammar: Takes an object: fueling the plane.
Patterns
- fueling a vehicle
- fueling up
The crew is fueling the plane before takeoff.
He spent ten minutes fueling the truck at the station.
They are fueling up before the long drive.
verbtransitivefigurative
The -ing form of fuel: making a feeling, situation or problem stronger or more intense.
Grammar: Takes an object, often an abstract noun: fueling anger.
Patterns
- fueling something
- fueling speculation
Rising prices are fueling anger among shoppers.
The news is fueling rumors about the company.
Strong sales are fueling the firm's growth.
Common combinations
- fueling speculation
- The missing report is fueling speculation about layoffs.
- fueling growth
- Cheap loans are fueling growth.
- fueling the fire
- His remarks were fueling the fire of the argument.
- fueling up
- We are fueling up at the next station.
- fueling concerns
- The delay is fueling concerns about safety.
Synonyms and how they differ
- feeding
- Feeding is warmer and is often used for emotions, while fueling suggests adding energy to a process.
- stoking
- Stoking comes from adding coal to a fire and suggests deliberately making feelings stronger.
- powering
- Powering stresses supplying energy to a machine, not making a feeling worse.
- inflaming
- Inflaming is stronger and nearly always means making anger or conflict worse.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fueling or fuelling?
fueling vs fuelling
Fuelling is the usual British spelling of the same word, with a double l.
Practice
Which sentence uses fueling in a figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Fueling demand means increasing demand. The other sentences describe literally adding fuel to a machine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fueling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.