carbonize

verb

car·​bon·​ize ˈkär-bə-ˌnīz 

carbonized; carbonizing

transitive verb

1

: to convert into carbon or a carbonic residue

2

: carburize sense 1

intransitive verb

: to become carbonized : char

Examples of carbonize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The researchers produced biochar by carbonizing mixed food waste at 752°F and then activating it with potassium hydroxide at temperatures between 1,112°F and 1,472°F. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026

Burned so badly they were carbonized, the scrolls are extremely fragile. — Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

In Herculaneum, the heat of the eruption carbonized scrolls from a vast library thought to be owned by Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, the father-in-law of Julius Caesar. — Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2023

The heat of the eruption carbonized many scrolls, including two—now housed at the Institut de France—that were unearthed in the 1750s excavation of a villa some believe was owned by Julius Caesar’s father-in-law. — Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 20 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for carbonize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

carbonize

verb

car·​bon·​ize ˈkär-bə-ˌnīz 

carbonized; carbonizing

: to change or become changed into carbon

carbonization

ˌkär-bə-nə-ˈzā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

carbonize

verb

car·​bon·​ize

variants or British carbonise

ˈkär-bə-ˌnīz 

carbonized or British carbonised; carbonizing or British carbonising

transitive verb

: to convert into carbon or a carbonic residue

intransitive verb

: to become carbonized or charred

carbonization noun

or British carbonisation

ˌkär-bə-nə-ˈzā-shən