ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fuel up

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford American English Informal

phr. v.. to fill a vehicle's tank with gas or petrol so you can keep driving.

phr. v.. to replenish the fuel supply of a vehicle or machine; often used intransitively or with a reflexive sense in casual contexts.


SIMPLE

We need to fuel up before we hit the highway.

CONTEXTUAL

The pilot decided to fuel up at the small regional airport before continuing the long flight across the desert.

COMPLEX

Logistics managers must ensure that every truck in the fleet has the opportunity to fuel up before the scheduled departure to avoid costly delays.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
fuel + up (+ object)
Usage

commonly used for cars, planes, and boats, but can also figuratively mean eating a large meal.

Teaching tip

point out that while 'fill up' is more common in general British English, 'fuel up' is frequently used in North America and in technical or transport-related contexts.

Pitfall

I need to fuel up the car with.I need to fuel up the car.the verb 'fuel up' already implies the use of fuel, so adding 'with' at the end of the sentence is redundant.

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