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

• 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

Researchers have developed a method that can help turn plastics into valuable carbon nanomaterials. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025

One analysis notes national rail emits ~35 g CO₂e per kilometer, while average gasoline cars emit ~170 g - meaning that train travel can correspond to only ~20% of the carbon per person compared to driving. —Chelsea Haney october 25, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2025

The measurements identified 13 elements from this doomed object, including aluminum, carbon, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel, silicon, sodium, strontium and titanium, in mostly Earth-like abundances. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2025

Drawing from data by the European Environment Agency, the research said that the EU fashion sector has cut 37 percent of its carbon emissions since 1990. —Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025

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