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• char
  char

  verb (used with object)

  to burn or reduce to charcoal.
• Char
  Char

  noun

  René 1907–1988, French poet.
• char.
  char.

  abbreviation

  character.

char

¹ American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

verb (used with object)

charred, charring

1. to burn or reduce to charcoal.

   The fire charred the paper.

2. to burn slightly; scorch.

   The flame charred the steak.

   Synonyms:

   sear, singe

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verb (used without object)

charred, charring

1. to become charred.

noun

1. a charred material or surface.

2. charcoal.

3. a superior carbon-rich fuel, a by-product of the conversion of coal into gaseous or liquid fuel.

char ² American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

Or charr

noun

• char,
  plural
• chars
  plural

1. any trout of the genus Salvelinus (orCristovomer ), especially the Arctic char.

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char ³ American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

noun

1. a charwoman.

2. a task, especially a household chore.

3. chars, odd jobs, especially of housework, for which one is paid by the hour or day.

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verb (used without object)

charred, charring

1. to work at housecleaning by the day or hour; hire oneself out to do odd jobs.

verb (used with object)

charred, charring

1. to do (housework, odd jobs, or chores); clean or repair.

char ⁴ American  

[chahr] / tʃɑr /

noun

British Informal.

1. tea.

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Char ⁵ American  

[shar] / ʃar /

noun

1. René 1907–1988, French poet.

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char. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. character.

2. charter.

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char ¹ British  

/ tʃɑː /

verb

1. to burn or be burned partially, esp so as to blacken the surface; scorch

2. (tr) to reduce (wood) to charcoal by partial combustion

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char ² British  

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. informal short for charwoman

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verb

1. informal to do housework, cleaning, etc, as a job

char ³ British  

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. any of various troutlike fishes of the genus Salvelinus, esp S. alpinus, occurring in cold lakes and northern seas: family Salmonidae (salmon)

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char ⁴ British  

/ tʃɑː /

noun

1. a slang word for tea

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• char
  plural
• chars
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of char¹

First recorded in 1670–80; apparently extracted from charcoal; see chark

Origin of char²

First recorded in 1655–65; perhaps unattested Old English ceorra literally, “turner,” derivative of ceorran “to turn,” it being thought of as swimming to and fro time and again; see char ³

Origin of char³

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, Old English cerr, cierr “turn, time, occasion, affair,” derivative of cierran “to turn”

Origin of char⁴

First recorded in 1915–20; from Hindi cā “tea” ( see tea); for spelling with r cf. arvo, Parcheesi ( def. )

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Explanation

To char is to burn or blacken something so that it’s like charcoal but still tasty. A char is something that has been burned in this way. To char is to burn something on the outside. If you've ever eaten a hot dog or hamburger cooked over an open flame, it was charred. Many people like the taste of char-grilled meat. To char doesn’t usually mean to burn all the way, just enough to blacken. Unfortunately, char can also mean to reduce to charcoal — if there's a house fire, couches and chairs could be charred. Not so delicious.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

char Char chars charred charring

Hot and dry noodles with seafood, Beijing crêpes filled with satay beef, Sichuan pancakes stuffed with char siu pork.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

Under the bill, however, insurers would be required to cover testing for lead, asbestos and other contaminants that have been found in soot, char and ash inside homes after a wildfire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

First Graphene says it works by forming a protective gas barrier, preventing the release of volatile compounds prior to ignition, and also a char layer should ignition occur.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025

Because jacarandas across the county sustained significant bark char and crown damage, L.A.’s purple bloom was down some patches this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2025

Over all hangs the cold brume of char, drifting across the water, lying still upon the decks of ships.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Badrinath is one of four sacred sites on the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit, alongside Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Practically, when it comes to invasion, the PLA is "still hampered by the limited number of amphibious combined arms brigades" it currently has, said NTU's Char.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

“We know the disparities exist, but they become shockingly obvious,” said Char Miller, an environmental analysis professor at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

Most known for its char kway teow, a wok-fried noodle dish with egg, shrimp, Chinese sausage and a hint of spice, head to Left-handed Char Koay Teow or Goggles Man Char Kuey Teow.

From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2025

I know she knows all this happened ’cause I had to be around Char.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

Avcoat is a mix of silica fibers, phenolic microballoons, and epoxy resin that chars and erodes, removing heat away.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

The near-direct heat chars the peaks of the skewered meat, and the valleys catch little pools of caramelizing sauce.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 11, 2023

For example, cooking a steak over a high heat, especially an open flame, chars the outside.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2023

The governor recently visited Washington to talk with top officials about wildfire recovery as the largest blaze burning in the U.S. chars more tinder dry forest in northern New Mexico.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 15, 2022

Heated in substance, it crepitates and chars; and if heat be increased, the metal is deposited.

From Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison ) Robertson

Apropos for a story about people on the margins, his settings are liminal: a highway shoulder, a charred underpass, a real-life fast food drive-through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

In 2015, he demonstrated the successful digital unrolling of a charred scroll recovered from a synagogue that burned around 600 C.E.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

A scorched aircraft and charred storage container were being examined at the scene of the incident on Wednesday.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

The massive 38-ounce portion sits on a bed of corn farofa, a textural delight, and is served with cheesy yuca purée, charred vegetables and salada vinagrete that adds a much-needed acidic punch.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2022

All that remained was a charred foundation, a few blackened timbers, and the remains of a teetering brick chimney propped up by a single two-by-four.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

Which explains the recycling of the Artemis I heat shield, despite the charring incurred, albeit with a modified re-entry approach intended to reduce the stress on the module.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026

Ean's cause of death could not be determined but a forensic pathologist told the court there were areas of charring to soft tissue and bone.

From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2025

On Dec. 27, 1956, a wildfire broke out near Zuma Beach, eventually charring 26,000 acres and destroying 100 homes.

From Salon ● Jan. 26, 2025

Firefighters Thursday were continuing to fight the Palisades fire, which has burned more than 17,000 acres, and the Eaton fire that burned through Pasadena and Altadena areas, charring more than 10,000 acres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025

She could, however, smell the charring pine, tinged with...what?

From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper

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