char

1 of 5

noun (1)

variants or less commonly charr
plural char or chars also charr or charrs
: any of a genus (Salvelinus) of small-scaled trouts with light-colored spots

char

2 of 5

verb (1)

charred; charring

transitive verb

1
: to convert to charcoal or carbon usually by heat : burn
2
: to burn slightly or partly : scorch
the fire charred the beams

char

3 of 5

noun (2)

plural chars
1
: a charred substance : charcoal
specifically : a combustible residue remaining after the destructive distillation of coal
2
: a darkened crust produced on grilled food
Because gas grills generally produce less heat than charcoal grills, the steak requires a longer cooking time (and less frequent flipping) to develop a nice char.David Pazmiño

char

4 of 5

verb (2)

charred; charring

intransitive verb

: to work as a cleaning woman

char

5 of 5

noun (3)

British

Examples of char in a Sentence

Verb (1) I'd like my hamburger charred, but not cooked through Noun (3) a busy executive who leaves most of the cooking and cleaning to the char
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
His striking work, Protest, depicts the bloodshed of Sri Lanka’s long civil war, using books that are charred or rendered illegible, often decorated with symbolic or figurative objects, like toy-soldier figurines marching across a soiled page. Thessaly La Force, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2025 When a fire charred Gabrielle Ross' face, hand and arm, doctors in Middle Tennessee treated her wounds using something with special healing powers − the placenta donated by a mother after the baby's delivery. Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
The finish is long and slightly dry, with lingering notes of leather, barrel char, caramel, and maple syrup. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025 That’s followed by cola, molasses, dark fruit, fruit cobbler, and butter cream on the palate, with mature oak, char, deep oak spice, and a hint of black pepper on the finish. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for char

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Verb (1)

charcoal

Verb (2)

charwoman

Noun (3)

by shortening

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1662, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1679, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1732, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of char was in 1662

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Char.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/char. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

char

1 of 3 noun
plural char or chars
: any of a genus of trouts that have small scales and include the common brook trout

char

2 of 3 verb
charred; charring
1
: to change or become changed to charcoal or carbon usually by heat : burn
2
: to burn or become burned partly or slightly : scorch

char

3 of 3 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on char

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!