char

[ chahr ]

/ tʃɑr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR char ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), charred, char·ring.

to burn or reduce to charcoal: The fire charred the paper.

to burn slightly; scorch: The flame charred the steak.

verb (used without object), charred, char·ring.

to become charred.

noun

a charred material or surface.

charcoal.

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

RELATED WORDS

burn, cauterize, singe, carbonize

Nearby words

Origin of char

1670–80; apparently extracted from charcoal; see chark

SYNONYMS FOR char

2. singe, sear.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR char ON THESAURUS.COM

char

[ chahr ]

/ tʃɑr /

Chiefly British

noun

a charwoman.

a task, especially a household chore.

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

verb (used without object), charred, char·ring.

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

verb (used with object), charred, char·ring.

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

Origin of char

1375–1425; late Middle English, Old English cerr, cierr turn, time, occasion, affair, derivative of cierran to turn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for charred

Imagine waking up to find a guy who looks like a tech startup employee eating your charred crispy leg.
The Red Viper, Zoe Barnes, and the Best Fictional Deaths of 2014|Melissa Leon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
According to reports at the time, their charred corpses were discovered two months later.
Caught: Female Assassin Who Allegedly Murdered Five American Nuns|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like bourbon, rye must be aged in charred oak barrels for at least two years.
Why Rye Is The Nation's Spirit, And Why No One Can Get It|Kayleigh Kulp|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He reaches in—and pulls out the charred bagel, one half at a time.
‘The Leftovers’ Review: A Fever Dream You Can’t Wake Up From|Andrew Romano|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Relatives of the dead were forced to collect the charred body parts of their loved ones and transport them to their burial sites.
Six Key Parts of a New Report That May Change Your View on Drones|Abby Haglage|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If the least bit of charred paper had been mixed with them, we should have considered the matter settled.
The Golden Slipper|Anna Katharine Green
He found nothing but a smouldering heap of charred robes and burnt dried meat.
The Way of an Indian|Frederic Remington
Firstly, he picked up the charred fragment of the letter, and smoothed it out carefully and reverently as he would a relic.
El Dorado|Baroness Orczy
As far as we could make out, there were no other marks of violence on the charred shape of the victim.
Buckskin Mose|Buckskin Mose
The ends of the props or poles are either dipped in tar, or charred, to prevent their rotting.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for charred

char

/ (tʃɑː) /

verb chars, charring or charred

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

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

Word Origin for char

C17: short for charcoal

char

charr

/ (tʃɑː) /

noun plural char, chars, charr or charrs

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

Word Origin for char

C17: of unknown origin

char

/ (tʃɑː) /

noun

informal short for charwoman

verb chars, charring or charred

British informal to do housework, cleaning, etc, as a job

Word Origin for char

C18: from Old English cerr

char

⁴

/ (tʃɑː) /

noun

British a slang word for tea

Word Origin for char

from Chinese ch'a

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

Word Origin and History for charred

char

"to reduce to charcoal," 1670s, probably a back-formation from charcoal (q.v.). Related: Charred; charring.