char·coal
ˈchär-ˌkōl 
1
: a dark or black porous carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances (as from wood by charring in a kiln from which air is excluded)
2
a
: a piece or pencil of fine charcoal used in drawing
b
: a charcoal drawing
3
: a dark gray
Examples of charcoal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Ted’s grills its dogs over charcoal, right there in the restaurant.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
And the earliest Easter eggs were often painted with substances like vegetable dye and charcoal.
—Alison Fox, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
Dong tried a number of fixes, including deep cleaning the kitchen hoods and exhaust system, installing charcoal filters, and even cooking meat at his other locations and driving it to the Northeast Portland restaurant, according to the city’s records.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
But there were some who dared to go bold with vampy dark smokey eyes: Danielle Brooks chose a charcoal eye, while Wicked star Cynthia Erivo wore a fitting emerald green.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2024
Think: a perfectly-coiffed afro paired with white liner and charcoal eyeshadow.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024
The darker colors, like charcoal, dark spruce, and navy, do last longer in direct sunlight.
—Lee Alisha Williams, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024
Another concern is residual charcoal on teeth if using charcoal toothpaste.
—Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024
John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 6 Feb. 2024
Ocean Motion: India food critic, journalist, TV personality and talk show host, Vir Sangi accompanies Rosenthal to Trishna, a superb seafood restaurant, for fish curry, charcoaled jumbo prawns, lobster in chili sauce and butter-garlic crab.
—Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
It can be prepared a number of ways — baked, charcoaled or planked — but shad roe, which is probably the most desirable way to dine on the fish, is poached or broiled — or there’s the novel way Jeff and Janet Ayres make it.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2023
This all adds up to a winning formula and the food certainly doesn’t disappoint, with innovative dishes such as the cherry kebab made from spiced kebab skewers, perfectly charcoaled and then covered with sauce made from sour cherries sourced from Armenia.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The floral comforter set is available in three different colorways: taupe, green multi, and charcoal.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2023
The brand is most famous for their scrubs, which range from apricots to charcoal to bamboo.
—Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
My attempt to get the fire going with newspaper, wood, and charcoal ends in a pitiful plume of smoke.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2022
While parts of the building were severely damaged from the flames - including sections of the walls and floorboards that were reduced to charcoal and ash - the metal staircase remained intact.
—CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022
Noun
Ree's vision included Spanish ranch elements — such as arched doorways and exposed wood ceiling beams — as well as a charcoal, blue and rust palette, with pops of yellow, throughout the house.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
Ted’s grills its dogs over charcoal, right there in the restaurant.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
And the earliest Easter eggs were often painted with substances like vegetable dye and charcoal.
—Alison Fox, Parents, 22 Mar. 2024
Dong tried a number of fixes, including deep cleaning the kitchen hoods and exhaust system, installing charcoal filters, and even cooking meat at his other locations and driving it to the Northeast Portland restaurant, according to the city’s records.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
But there were some who dared to go bold with vampy dark smokey eyes: Danielle Brooks chose a charcoal eye, while Wicked star Cynthia Erivo wore a fitting emerald green.
—Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2024
Think: a perfectly-coiffed afro paired with white liner and charcoal eyeshadow.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024
The darker colors, like charcoal, dark spruce, and navy, do last longer in direct sunlight.
—Lee Alisha Williams, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024
Another concern is residual charcoal on teeth if using charcoal toothpaste.
—Popular Science, 14 Mar. 2024
Verb
Diet: People who eat lots of salty foods, processed, grilled, or charcoaled meats.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 6 Feb. 2024
Ocean Motion: India food critic, journalist, TV personality and talk show host, Vir Sangi accompanies Rosenthal to Trishna, a superb seafood restaurant, for fish curry, charcoaled jumbo prawns, lobster in chili sauce and butter-garlic crab.
—Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
It can be prepared a number of ways — baked, charcoaled or planked — but shad roe, which is probably the most desirable way to dine on the fish, is poached or broiled — or there’s the novel way Jeff and Janet Ayres make it.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2023
This all adds up to a winning formula and the food certainly doesn’t disappoint, with innovative dishes such as the cherry kebab made from spiced kebab skewers, perfectly charcoaled and then covered with sauce made from sour cherries sourced from Armenia.
—Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023
The floral comforter set is available in three different colorways: taupe, green multi, and charcoal.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Jan. 2023
The brand is most famous for their scrubs, which range from apricots to charcoal to bamboo.
—Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
My attempt to get the fire going with newspaper, wood, and charcoal ends in a pitiful plume of smoke.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2022
While parts of the building were severely damaged from the flames - including sections of the walls and floorboards that were reduced to charcoal and ash - the metal staircase remained intact.
—CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'charcoal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near charcoal
Cite this Entry
“Charcoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charcoal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
charcoal
noun
char·coal
ˈchär-ˌkōl
1
: a dark or black absorbent carbon made by heating animal or vegetable material in the absence of air
2
a
: a piece or pencil of charcoal used in drawing
b
: a charcoal drawing
Medical Definition
charcoal
noun
char·coal
ˈchär-ˌkōl
: a dark or black porous carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances (as from wood by charring in a kiln from which air is excluded) see activated charcoal
More from Merriam-Webster on charcoal
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for charcoal
Nglish: Translation of charcoal for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of charcoal for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about charcoal
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