charcoal

noun char·coal \ ˈchär-ˌkōl \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

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

The park remains vulnerable to attacks by anti-government rebels and local militia groups, problems compounded by elephant poaching, hunting for bush meat, unlicensed fishing, and tree cutting for charcoal.

— National Geographic, "Virunga National Park Sees Its Worst Violence in a Decade, Director Says," 14 June 2018
Whether gas- or charcoal-fed, grills that are not cleaned often trigger fires because of a buildup of grease and fat from previous cookings.

— linda searing, Washington Post, "The Big Number: Outdoor grilling sends thousands to ER," 9 June 2018
Personal style variations on the gray-and-charcoal suits worn by the Cavaliers included differences in shoes, with both formal shoes and brogue boots by Browne and sneakers from other brands seen on the players.

— tony bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, "Fashion forwards: LeBron James, Draymond Green wear shorts suits," 3 June 2018
The oldest fire recorded on Earth has been identified from charcoal in rocks formed during the late Silurian Period, around 420 million years ago.

— andrew c. scott, Time, "When Did Humans Discover Fire? The Answer Depends on What You Mean By 'Discover'," 1 June 2018
What do a golden VW bus, a pink pelican and a charcoal drawing of palm trees on fire all have in common?

— patrick connolly, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Off-the-wall works at Orlando Museum's Florida Prize," 31 May 2018
Pete Karras, a 30-something Brooklyn creative director, tucks Jason Markk bamboo charcoal shoe fresheners ($12, jasonmarkk.com) into his shoes between wears.

— donna bulseco, WSJ, "Worried Your Feet Smell, Guys? Here’s the Solution," 31 May 2018
Researchers from the United States, England and Sweden studied the fossil record from North America to New Zealand, looking closely at charcoal remains of trees, fossilized pollen and fern spores, and bird fossils.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "These were the unlikely survivors after dinosaurs went extinct," 24 May 2018
An extra pop of silver from Jouer’s Skinny Dip palette and Tarte’s chrome pot in a deeper charcoal shade were her key products to finalize the look.

— sophie dodd, PEOPLE.com, "Carrie Ann Inaba Goes All Out for Season Finale of DWTS," 22 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

charcoal

verb

Definition of charcoal

charcoaled; charcoaling; charcoals

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

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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