carbon

noun

car·​bon ˈkär-bən 

plural carbons

1

a

: a nonmetallic chemical element with atomic number 6 that readily forms compounds with many other elements and is a constituent of organic compounds in all known living tissues

—often used before another noun

carbon atoms

carbon life forms

carbon fibers

see Chemical Elements Table

b

: carbon dioxide

Forests, plants and natural lands can help absorb and store excess carbon from the atmosphere.

—Alex Baumhardt

—often used before another noun

carbon emissions

Oil companies … are investing in carbon capture projects as public and investor pressures mount over climate change.

—Paul Takahashi

2

: a carbon rod used in an arc lamp

3

a

: a sheet of carbon paper

b

: carbon copy

Synonyms of carbon

• twin
• image
• replica
• clone
• picture
• duplicate
• portrait
• double

Examples of carbon in a Sentence

a carbon of the document

this new digital camera is a carbon of a well-known model costing almost twice as much

Recent Examples on the Web

Yamaha is backing hydrogen as a clean and viable option for reaching carbon neutrality and will develop it as a source of fuel, President and Chief Executive Officer Yoshihiro Hidaka said. —Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026

There’s a pervasive sense in the area that the risks are real; the local water utility recently installed a $46-million carbon-filtration system to clear the region’s drinking water. —Patrick Sisson, Scientific American, 9 Mar. 2026

Desalination is energy-intensive, with plants worldwide producing between 500 and 850 million tons of carbon emissions annually, approaching the roughly 880 million tons emitted by the entire global aviation industry. —Annika Hammerschlag, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026

Desalination is energy-intensive, with plants worldwide producing between 500 million and 850 million tons of carbon emissions annually, approaching the roughly 880 million tons emitted by the entire global aviation industry. —Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French carbone, from Latin carbon-, carbo ember, charcoal

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing carbon

• activated carbon
• blind carbon copy
• carbon black
• carbon capture
• carbon capture and storage
• carbon copy
• carbon cycle
• carbon dating
• carbon dioxide
• carbon disulfide
• carbon fiber
• carbon footprint
• carbon monoxide
• carbon paper
• carbon sequestration
• carbon sink
• carbon steel
• carbon tetrachloride

Rhymes for carbon

• fluorocarbon
• hydrocarbon

Kids Definition

carbon

noun

car·​bon ˈkär-bən 

1

: a nonmetallic element found more or less pure in nature (as in diamond and graphite) or as a part of coal and petroleum and of the bodies of living things or obtained artificially see element

2

a

: a sheet of carbon paper

b

: carbon copy sense 1

Medical Definition

carbon

noun

car·​bon ˈkär-bən 

: a nonmetallic chemical element with atomic number 6 that readily forms compounds with many other elements and is a constituent of organic compounds in all known living tissues

—symbol C see Chemical Elements Table