fuels

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of fuel.

   Renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are gaining ground in transportation.

   The rocket relies on two separate fuels stored in pressurized tanks.

   Note

   A plural that counts kinds rather than amounts. As a mass noun, fuel takes no -s: a tank holds fuel, not fuels. The plural appears when types are being listed or compared, as in renewable fuels or two separate fuels in one rocket. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb, so a subject directly before it signals the verb.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of fuel.

   Cheap credit fuels rapid growth but raises the risk of a sharp correction.

   The pipeline fuels the entire power plant during peak demand.

   Note

   Both meanings behind this form are transitive, so it always needs an object: something fuels something. In the literal use, the object is a machine, vehicle or plant that is supplied with energy. In the figurative use, meaning "to make greater," the object is something that can grow, such as demand, anger or speculation. Cheap credit fuels growth in the same way that wood fuels a fire.

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