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

This bourbon features bold vanilla, caramel, and charred oak, with a spicy, smooth finish. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

He had been killed by a grenade explosion that had also left its mark on a ceramic fruit bowl, charring apples and bananas. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

The Orion heat shield is designed to ablate, or char, during re-entry when the spacecraft enters Earth's atmosphere at more than 25,000 mph. —William Harwood, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2024

The bake itself lends to a chewy crust and a thin slice immune to a soggy bottom thanks to the char. —Meira Gebel, Axios, 3 Dec. 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