charcoal

1 of 2

noun

char·​coal ˈchär-ˌkōl How to pronounce charcoal (audio)
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

charcoal

2 of 2

verb

charcoaled; charcoaling; charcoals

Examples of charcoal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The anger in his eyes is not mollified by his charcoal suit, blue shirt, black tie, and black dress shoes. Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024 Nearly four in five people in Africa prepare their meals over open fires or traditional stoves, utilizing wood, charcoal and other polluting fuels, but moving towards clean cooking is hard when cooking in this specific way is part of your heritage and culture. Daniela De Lorenzo, Forbes, 30 Oct. 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 See all Example Sentences for charcoal 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English charcole

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of charcoal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near charcoal

Cite this Entry

“Charcoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charcoal. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

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 How to pronounce charcoal (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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