coal
a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel.: Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
a piece of glowing, charred, or burned wood or other combustible substance.
to burn to coal or charcoal.
to provide with coal.
to take in coal for fuel.
Idioms about coal
heap coals of fire on someone's head, to repay evil with good in order to make one's enemy repent.
rake / haul / drag / call / take over the coals, to reprimand; scold: They were raked over the coals for turning out slipshod work.
Origin of coal
1Other words from coal
- coalless, adjective
Words that may be confused with coal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use coal in a sentence
Two bowls were set before the infant—one containing gold and jewels, the other hot coals.
Jon Stewart and 'Meet The Press' Would Have Been One Unhappy Marriage | Lloyd Grove | October 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Lexington Herald-Leader sure did, raking McConnell over the coals Wednesday.
How many male candidates have been raked over the coals because their ex-wives have full custody?
The Right Subjects Wendy Davis to Litmus Tests No Male Would Ever Face | Kirsten Powers | January 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBecause they were the ones “raking in the coals,” they were nicknamed “rakers.”
9 Secrets of the NYPD’s Spy Unit Revealed in ‘Enemies Within’ | Abby Haglage | August 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAll these congressmen would have come out and held him over the coals.
Sundance’s ‘Manhunt’: Three CIA Agents Who Hunted bin Laden Tell All | Marlow Stern | January 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
She was boiling mullets over a few red coals in the huge fireplace.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThe coals for the smiths I have also ordered, and the same for the engine to fork the first lift.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickThe Greenwich high-pressure puffer-engine did fourteen millions of duty with a bushel of coals, 84 lbs.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickThey slept, or appeared to sleep, for some time; nobody stirring but Barney, who rose once or twice to throw coals upon the fire.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensThis week I put another to wind coals at this place, a 10-horse power, which works very well.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick
British Dictionary definitions for coal
/ (kəʊl) /
a combustible compact black or dark-brown carbonaceous rock formed from compaction of layers of partially decomposed vegetation: a fuel and a source of coke, coal gas, and coal tar: See also anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite, peat 1
(as modifier): coal cellar; coal merchant; coal mine; coal dust
one or more lumps of coal
short for charcoal
coals to Newcastle something supplied where it is already plentiful
haul someone over the coals to reprimand someone
to take in, provide with, or turn into coal
Origin of coal
1Derived forms of coal
- coaly, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for coal
[ kōl ]
A dark-brown to black solid substance formed from the compaction and hardening of fossilized plant parts in the presence of water and in the absence of air. Carbonaceous material accounts for more than 50 percent of coal's weight and more than 70 percent of its volume. Coal is widely used as a fuel, and its combustion products are used as raw material for a variety of products including cement, asphalt, wallboard and plastics. See more at anthracite bituminous coal lignite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with coal
see carry coals to Newcastle; rake over the coals.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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