Diesel
//ˈdiːzəl// noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A fuel derived from petroleum (or other oils) but heavier than gasoline/petrol. Used to power diesel engines which burn this fuel using the heat produced when air is compressed. countable, uncountable
- 2 an internal-combustion engine that burns heavy oil wordnet
- 3 A vehicle powered by a diesel engine. countable
"His next truck will be a diesel."
- 4 Ellipsis of diesel engine. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"Their next engine design will be a diesel."
- 5 A rider who has an even energy output, without bursts of speed. countable, slang, uncountable
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- 6 Synonym of snakebite and black. UK, countable, slang, uncountable
- 7 A particular cannabis hybrid. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To ignite a substance by using the heat generated by compression.
- 2 For a spark-ignition internal combustion engine to continue running after the electrical current to the spark plugs has been turned off. This occurs when there's enough heat in the combustion chamber to ignite the air and fuel mixture without a spark, the same way that heat and pressure cause ignition in a diesel engine.
"The only reason the VW bug has a solenoid is to prevent it from dieseling."
Example
More examples"Inhaling diesel exhaust is bad for our health."
Etymology
From German Diesel, named after inventor Rudolf Diesel, who developed a heavy-duty engine in Germany (1892–1897) and perfected it throughout his life.
Related phrases
More for "diesel"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.