variants
or less commonly charr
plural char or chars also charr or charrs
: any of a genus (Salvelinus) of small-scaled trouts with light-colored spots
charred; charring
2
: to burn slightly or partly : scorch
the fire charred the beams
: to become charred
plural chars
1
2
: a darkened crust produced on grilled food
Because gas grills generally produce less heat than charcoal grills, the steak requires a longer cooking time (and less frequent flipping) to develop a nice char.—
David Pazmiño
David PazmiñoSynonyms
Examples of char in a Sentence
Verb (1)
I'd like my hamburger charred, but not cooked through
Noun (3)
a busy executive who leaves most of the cooking and cleaning to the char
Recent Examples on the WebJonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 May 2024
Researchers found that cork charred with a laser made the material both more oil absorbent and more water repellent and created grooves to increase surface area.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
Place on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until cooked through the center and slightly charred on top, 5 to 7 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
After being rolled out, the pasta sheets are fried, smoked, and, finally, lightly charred with a torch.
—Laura May Todd Enea Arienti, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Canadian fires prompt evacuations On Saturday, 3,200 people living in northeastern British Columbia were under an evacuation order, Reuters reported, as fires charred over 24,710 acres.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024
Place radicchio halves on hot grill pan or skillet; cook until gently charred and just warmed through, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Even though the bodies were charred, investigators could tell they had been shot first.
—Nina Burleigh, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024
The department shared an aerial post-fire shot showing Ladder 2 charred, all but destroyed, at the base of the building where the fire started.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 May 2024
Celebrity Chefs Share Their Best Summer Cooking Tips This works because the acidic juices of the onion will start to wash off the char.
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
The grill pan heats up evenly and produces consistent char marks, even when foods are placed toward the sides of the pan.
—Camryn Rabideau, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Thick cut chunks of char siu and sunny side up eggs cover a bed of garlic jasmine rice, with tiny concentrated cups of dark soy sauce and tart pickled vegetables on the side.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
This simple step completely changes the outcome by softening the peppers and adding a distinct smoky char.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
To make a dish with the perfect char in 20 minutes.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
The introduction of phosphates for fertilizer and bone char as an ingredient in beet sugar processing at the beginning of the 19th century transformed bones into a hot commodity.
—Byandrew Curry, science.org, 2 Apr. 2024
With a counter team known for dishing out fiery insults to an often drunk late-night (and even daytime) crowd, Wiener’s Circle has all the classic Chicago hot dog stand staples: Chicago dogs, char cheddar burgers, char Polish, cheddar fries, and more.
—Ari Bendersky, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Verb
The latest partnership is with Solo Stove, the company that makes those steel backyard firepits that have soared in popularity over the past few years, and the whiskey is a blend of wheat and rye that was aged in barrels charred by one of these stoves.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 May 2024
Researchers found that cork charred with a laser made the material both more oil absorbent and more water repellent and created grooves to increase surface area.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
Place on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until cooked through the center and slightly charred on top, 5 to 7 minutes, rotating the pan once or twice.
—Lynda Balslev, The Mercury News, 21 May 2024
After being rolled out, the pasta sheets are fried, smoked, and, finally, lightly charred with a torch.
—Laura May Todd Enea Arienti, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Canadian fires prompt evacuations On Saturday, 3,200 people living in northeastern British Columbia were under an evacuation order, Reuters reported, as fires charred over 24,710 acres.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024
Place radicchio halves on hot grill pan or skillet; cook until gently charred and just warmed through, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Even though the bodies were charred, investigators could tell they had been shot first.
—Nina Burleigh, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024
The department shared an aerial post-fire shot showing Ladder 2 charred, all but destroyed, at the base of the building where the fire started.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024
Noun
There is a bit of tannic char present as well, but surely the more forgiving climate of Northern Ireland, as compared to Kentucky, allowed this whiskey to soak up flavor from virgin oak without going overboard.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 May 2024
Celebrity Chefs Share Their Best Summer Cooking Tips This works because the acidic juices of the onion will start to wash off the char.
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024
The grill pan heats up evenly and produces consistent char marks, even when foods are placed toward the sides of the pan.
—Camryn Rabideau, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Thick cut chunks of char siu and sunny side up eggs cover a bed of garlic jasmine rice, with tiny concentrated cups of dark soy sauce and tart pickled vegetables on the side.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
This simple step completely changes the outcome by softening the peppers and adding a distinct smoky char.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
To make a dish with the perfect char in 20 minutes.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
The introduction of phosphates for fertilizer and bone char as an ingredient in beet sugar processing at the beginning of the 19th century transformed bones into a hot commodity.
—Byandrew Curry, science.org, 2 Apr. 2024
With a counter team known for dishing out fiery insults to an often drunk late-night (and even daytime) crowd, Wiener’s Circle has all the classic Chicago hot dog stand staples: Chicago dogs, char cheddar burgers, char Polish, cheddar fries, and more.
—Ari Bendersky, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'char.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near char
Cite this Entry
“Char.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/char. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
char
1 of 3 noun
plural char or chars
: any of a genus of trouts that have small scales and include the common brook trout
char
3 of 3 noun
: charcoal
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