char

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈchär 

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

char

2 of 5

verb (1)

charred; charring

transitive verb

1

: to convert to charcoal or carbon usually by heat : burn

2

: to burn slightly or partly : scorch

the fire charred the beams

intransitive verb

: to become charred

char

3 of 5

noun (2)

plural chars

1

: a charred substance : charcoal

specifically : a combustible residue remaining after the destructive distillation of coal

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

char

4 of 5

verb (2)

charred; charring

intransitive verb

: to work as a cleaning woman

char

5 of 5

noun (3)

British

: charwoman

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• scorch
• sear
• singe

Noun (3)

• biddy
• charwoman
• handmaiden
• handmaid
• house girl
• housekeeper
• housemaid
• maid
• maidservant
• skivvy [British]
• wench [old-fashioned]

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 Web

Verb

Avoid burning or charring food, as the muscle meat of beef, pork, fish or poultry produces DNA-damaging chemicals when grilled at high temperatures or over an open flame. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 24 Sep. 2024

The ground was charred at the spot where the man had been standing. —Marcus Moore, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2024

The Airport fire had charred more than 20,000 acres in Riverside and Orange counties, and the Line fire in San Bernardino County had burned more than 36,000 acres and was 18% contained. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024

As of late Tuesday, the blaze had charred more than 54 square miles (140 square kilometers) of grass and brush with 14% containment, according to CalFire. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Verb (1)

charcoal

Verb (2)

charwoman

Noun (3)

by shortening

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1662, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1679, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1732, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1906, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing char

• arctic char

Kids Definition

char

1 of 3 noun

ˈchär 

plural char or chars

: any of a genus of trouts that have small scales and include the common brook trout

char

2 of 3 verb

charred; charring

1

: to change or become changed to charcoal or carbon usually by heat : burn

2

: to burn or become burned partly or slightly : scorch

char

3 of 3 noun

: charcoal