carbon

noun

car·​bon ˈkär-bən 

plural carbons

1

a

: a nonmetallic chemical element with atomic number 6 that readily forms compounds with many other elements and is a constituent of organic compounds in all known living tissues

—often used before another noun

carbon atoms

carbon life forms

carbon fibers

see Chemical Elements Table

b

: carbon dioxide

Forests, plants and natural lands can help absorb and store excess carbon from the atmosphere.

—Alex Baumhardt

—often used before another noun

carbon emissions

Oil companies … are investing in carbon capture projects as public and investor pressures mount over climate change.

—Paul Takahashi

2

: a carbon rod used in an arc lamp

3

a

: a sheet of carbon paper

b

: carbon copy

Synonyms

• alter ego
• carbon copy
• clone
• counterpart
• doppelgänger
• doppelganger
• double
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• fetch
• image
• likeness
• look-alike
• match
• mirror image
• picture
• replica
• ringer
• spit
• spitting image
• twin

Examples of carbon in a Sentence

a carbon of the document

this new digital camera is a carbon of a well-known model costing almost twice as much

Recent Examples on the Web

The judge ruled that the state agency charged with approving the gas plant had failed to consider how the facility’s heat-trapping carbon emissions would contribute to the climate crisis. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024

The solar panel project is the latest sustainability effort from the college, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2038. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

A lot of carbon offset projects are based in economically developing countries where governments can make money from efforts to plant trees that trap and store carbon dioxide. —Justine Calma, The Verge, 15 Apr. 2024

According to the latest state data, the transportation sector accounts for 39% of California's carbon emissions, the largest share of any sector and more than the industrial and power sectors combined. —Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024

Another is the state’s seemingly countless efforts — both legislation and administrative decrees, scattered among a plethora of agencies – to reach the holy grail of carbon emission neutrality with little or no evaluation of their cost-effectiveness. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024

This makes way for ecotourism, carbon offsets, and supposed conservationist efforts that work toward the goal set by global leaders to conserve 30 percent of the planet’s surface by 2030. —Longreads, 12 Apr. 2024

Dozens of measures have become law, ranging from a de facto ban on combustion engines in new cars by 2035 to tougher pollution caps on companies and a new carbon market for fuels. —Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024

The country aims to zero out its carbon emissions by 2060, while Aramco’s net-zero target date is 2050. —Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French carbone, from Latin carbon-, carbo ember, charcoal

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing carbon

• activated carbon
• blind carbon copy
• carbon black
• carbon capture
• carbon capture and storage
• carbon copy
• carbon cycle
• carbon dating
• carbon dioxide
• carbon disulfide
• carbon fiber
• carbon footprint
• carbon monoxide
• carbon paper
• carbon sequestration
• carbon sink
• carbon steel
• carbon tetrachloride

Kids Definition

carbon

noun

car·​bon ˈkär-bən 

1

: a nonmetallic element found more or less pure in nature (as in diamond and graphite) or as a part of coal and petroleum and of the bodies of living things or obtained artificially see element

2

a

: a sheet of carbon paper

b

: carbon copy sense 1

Medical Definition

carbon

noun

car·​bon ˈkär-bən 

often attributive

: a nonmetallic element found native (as in diamonds and graphite) or as a constituent of coal, petroleum, asphalt, limestone, and organic compounds or obtained artificially (as in activated charcoal)

—symbol C see Chemical Elements Table