charcoal

noun char·coal \ ˈchär-ˌkōl \

Definition of charcoal

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

See charcoal defined for English-language learners

See charcoal defined for kids

Recent Examples of charcoal from the Web

Think of it as a detox treatment — one that uses goat milk to moisturize and activated bamboo charcoal to help remove impurities from the skin.

— alice short, latimes.com, "Gifts for the beauty obsessed (you know who you are)," 3 Nov. 2017
Using charcoal on paper, Mr. Jean got to work on the poster, pictured above in progress.

— mekado murphy, New York Times, "The Hand-Drawn Journey of the ‘Shape of Water’ Poster," 3 Nov. 2017
Fervor uses a charcoal that gives the meat a bit more char, resulting in a steak with a notable crust on the outside, yet tender and smoky inside.

— nicholas m. gallagher, WSJ, "The 5 Best Steakhouses in Buenos Aires: A Meat-Lover’s Guide," 12 Oct. 2017
Like traditional Jack, the whiskey is charcoal mellowed.

— emily price, Fortune, "Jack Daniel's Tennessee Rye Is Its First New Recipe Since Prohibition," 15 Sep. 2017
Generators, gas and charcoal grills and propane stoves should always be used outdoors and away from windows, doors and vents to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

— joe marusak, charlotteobserver, "First NC death from Hurricane Irma confirmed," 15 Sep. 2017
Due to lack of resources, patrols to enforce rules against poaching and making charcoal are insufficient.

— william clowes, Slate Magazine, "Seeing the Forest for the Trees," 1 May 2017
Usually, beef is placed over a mixture of wood and charcoal that produces relatively little smoke and cooks the meat very slowly.

— nicholas m. gallagher, WSJ, "The 5 Best Steakhouses in Buenos Aires: A Meat-Lover’s Guide," 12 Oct. 2017
The sisters sit in a white bubble, in one of the richest suburbs in America, wearing the world’s only acceptable form of blackface (a charcoal mask), and call Kendall Jenner to talk about her racist Pepsi-Cola ad.

— mariah smith, The Cut, "The Best Day of Khloé Kardashian’s Life Took Place in Cleveland," 2 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'charcoal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of charcoal

Middle English charcole

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

charcoal

verb

Definition of charcoal

transitive verb

: charbroil

Recent Examples of charcoal from the Web

Bruce Gilbert Miami Herald File All that remained in the rubble was a charcoaled safe that contained some of the company’s accounts receivable and payable records.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "The family businessman who helped grow Norton Tire into a national symbol," 4 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of charcoal

1965

CHARCOAL Defined for English Language Learners

charcoal

noun

Definition of charcoal for English Language Learners

: a hard black material that is made by burning wood with a small amount of air
: a dark gray color

CHARCOAL Defined for Kids

charcoal

noun char·coal \ ˈchär-ˌkōl \

Definition of charcoal for Students

: a black or dark absorbent fuel made by heating wood in the absence of air

Medical Dictionary

charcoal

noun char·coal \ ˈchär-ˌkōl \

medical Definition of charcoal

: 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