charcoal
Americannoun
-
the carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic substances in the absence of air.
-
a drawing pencil of charcoal.
-
a drawing made with charcoal.
verb (used with object)
-
to blacken, write, or draw with charcoal.
-
to cook (food) over charcoal, especially on a grill.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a black amorphous form of carbon made by heating wood or other organic matter in the absence of air: used as a fuel, in smelting metal ores, in explosives, and as an absorbent See activated carbon
-
a stick or pencil of this for drawing
-
a drawing done in charcoal
-
short for charcoal grey
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
charcoalsimple
-
charcoalssimple
-
have charcoaledperfect
-
has charcoaledperfect
-
am charcoalingprogressive
-
are charcoalingprogressive
-
is charcoalingprogressive
-
have been charcoalingperfect progressive
-
has been charcoalingperfect progressive
Past
-
charcoaledsimple
-
had charcoaledperfect
-
was charcoalingprogressive
-
were charcoalingprogressive
-
had been charcoalingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of charcoal
1300–50; Middle English charcole, perhaps cherre char 3 + cole coal, though literal sense of the compound is unclear
Explanation
Charcoal is the black substance left over when wood is heated in the absence of oxygen. You can cook with charcoal by burning it in your backyard grill. Charcoal is used in many ways, but its most important use has probably been by blacksmiths and other metal workers, who historically used extremely hot charcoal fires to heat metal. Charcoal is also used to make explosive blasting powders and common water filters. One theory of the word's origin combines the obsolete verb charren, "to turn," and cole, "coal" — in other words, "to turn to coal."
Vocabulary lists containing charcoal
Black and Gray
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Visual Arts - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Visual Arts - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Because charcoal is made from burned organic material, it can often be dated using this method.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Jealous Devil XL lump charcoal lights easily, produces minimal ash and burns for hours; Boom!
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Some new charcoal grills—traditionally the cook-anything-anywhere option—now require electricity to power internal fans and built-in thermometers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Referring to his dour mien and predilection for charcoal gray garb, Rand called him her “undertaker.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
The graduate school offered a free course on charcoal sketching.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
When exposed to fire, the mass timber charcoals and burns a half-inch every hour — so a 4.5-inch panel would last six or seven hours before fully burning, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
Supermarkets have also reported soaring sales of ice cream, drinks, BBQ charcoals and suncare products.
From Reuters ● Jul. 18, 2022
The paint brand Dunn-Edwards has declared that trending exterior colors include mineral and nature-based hues like warm grays, sage and brown, along with charcoals and deep blues.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 27, 2021
Daniel Craig musing ’bout donuts inside holes Lovesick French portraitists sketching with charcoals Beautiful pictures projected on screens These are a few of my favorite scenes!
From Slate ● Dec. 30, 2019
But the important thing was this witch didn’t show off any dark thunder charcoals or red ant-hill beads.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
“The beautiful mountain around us, all those trees, it’s all charcoaled now.”
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2022
“Cook them on a quick high burst of heat,” advises the Ready Steady Cook regular, “and then gently so the outside is charcoaled dark and the inside beautifully pink.”
From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2020
And out back, the skeleton of a Valencia orange tree, planted by his mother 65 years ago, was now laden with baubles of charcoaled fruit.
From Reuters ● Feb. 11, 2020
“The terrorists tried to ruin my church, my home, my people,” Nagi said, using the edge of her charcoaled sleeve to wipe tears from her eyes.
From Time ● Aug. 26, 2013
In addition, once the fire died down, Stone Age entrepreneurs could walk through the smoking remains and harvest charcoaled animals, nuts and tubers.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
