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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

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

Laureano, for example, relies heavily on imports from Canada: “Let’s say my arctic char, my cod loins.”

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 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

It was cramped inside, the air a stale haze, the char of many fires scarring the dirt center.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Last year, the 68-year-old and his wife, Char Robbins, went to Oktoberfest in Germany, took a Rhône river cruise and visited “Liechtenstein for a day just to say we’ve been there,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 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

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

Char Miller, a professor of environmental history at Pomona College and author of “Burn Scars,” a history of U.S. wildfire suppression, said new development was the “spark plug” for many of the region’s fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2025

Char starts yelling at me from way back in the lunchroom.

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

“It’s like in forest fires where big, old-growth trees survive by charcoaling. The exterior chars, but the inside survives.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

But this time, Spears chars her publicly despised ex-boyfriend with accusations of cultural appropriation.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2023

He chars the raw noodles in a skillet.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023

Tests.—Concentrated acid chars organic matter; evolves heat when added to water, and sulphurous fumes when boiled with chips of wood, copper cuttings, or mercury.

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

While the broth heated, I tossed frozen mushrooms, ginger and onions with oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes, then roasted everything until the edges were almost charred.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

Some of those who returned to the red zone found buildings reduced to charred, empty shells; in other cases, homes had been looted.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

On Monday, firefighters were working to wash streaks of pink fire retardant off the streets and finish building containment lines around the charred hills between San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E., volcanic ash overwhelmed the city and transformed more than a thousand papyrus scrolls in a local library into fragile, charred remains.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Mae and Birdie had found Duuzuu in the charred remains of a blue willow tree.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

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

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

I also love charring sautéed vegetables on high heat with soy sauce, using that nice, charred aroma to flavor them.

From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2024

Then I knew there was enough fire or charring on it to light off the base of fried palm fronds beneath the signal fire.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor

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