charcoal

1 of 2

noun

char·​coal ˈchär-ˌkōl 

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

transitive verb

: charbroil

Examples of charcoal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For Kelce, charcoal brings him back to cooking with his family, playing sports and hanging with his friends in college. —Emily Rella, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

Opportunities also abound to sell credits for switching from fossil fuel stoves—some 80% of sub-Saharan Africans use wood or charcoal for cooking—to solar or biomass. —Charlie Campbell, Time, 30 Oct. 2025

Verb

Meat that's been smoked, grilled, charcoaled, or preserved with salt may lead to gene mutations and precancerous changes in the stomach. —Carrie Madormo, Health, 17 Oct. 2025

Advertisement The result is a terrible new normal, with immense out-of-control wildfires now regularly turning massive swaths of the boreal belt around the top of the world to charcoal. —Stephen Maher, Time, 2 July 2025

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

Rhymes for charcoal

• bankroll
• bedroll
• borehole
• cajole
• catchpole
• condole
• control
• dipole
• downhole
• enroll
• extol
• flagpole

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 

: 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