charcoal

American  

[chahr-kohl] / ˈtʃɑrˌkoʊl /

noun

1. the carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood or other organic substances in the absence of air.

2. a drawing pencil of charcoal.

3. a drawing made with charcoal.

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verb (used with object)

1. to blacken, write, or draw with charcoal.

2. to cook (food) over charcoal, especially on a grill.

verb (used without object)

1. to cook food over charcoal, especially on a grill.

charcoal British  

/ ˈtʃɑːˌkəʊl /

noun

1. 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

2. a stick or pencil of this for drawing

3. a drawing done in charcoal

4. short for charcoal grey

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verb

1. (tr) to write, draw, or blacken with charcoal

charcoal Scientific  

/ chär′kōl′ /

1. A black porous form of carbon produced by heating wood or bone in little or no air. Charcoal is used as a fuel, for drawing, and in air and water filters.

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Other Word Forms

• charcoaly adjective

Etymology

Origin of charcoal

1300–50; Middle English charcole, perhaps cherre char ³ + cole coal, though literal sense of the compound is unclear

Example Sentences

Solar has increased since early 2026 among those who can afford it -- while others turn to charcoal or cook over open fires.

From Barron's

Before the fighting, forests supplied roughly 70 percent of Sudan's energy consumption, primarily through charcoal and firewood, according to data from the African Forest Forum.

From Barron's

Would it be bamboo charcoal memory foam, a C-shaped full body or a honeycomb hole?

From The Wall Street Journal

"I noticed that the brick was a very pink-cast brick, and it had a little bit of a charcoal overlay on it. It was a modular eight-inch brick and it was square-edged," he says.

From BBC

On the side of a highway on the outskirts of Havana, vendors sell bags of charcoal and makeshift braziers, some fashioned from old washing machine drums.

From Barron's

Related Words

• sunless
• unlighted
• unlit