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
charred; charring
2
: to burn slightly or partly : scorch
the fire charred the beams
: to become charred
plural chars
1
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
David PazmiñoExamples 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
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
Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
As the Wolf Fire continues to char hundreds of acres in southern California, forcing evacuations, much of the rest of the U.S. is bracing for one of the most wildfire-prone times of the year.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for char
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
At Ponty Bistro, the lamb had a nice char on the outside, and, like the poisson yassa, was smothered in sauce.
—Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
As the Wolf Fire continues to char hundreds of acres in southern California, forcing evacuations, much of the rest of the U.S. is bracing for one of the most wildfire-prone times of the year.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for char
Cite this Entry
“Char.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/char. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
3 of 3 noun
: charcoal
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share