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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

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. )

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

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

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

You burn it and char it, and you use it to build fences or whatever it is you’re trying to build.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 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

“Like stone under the saw. Try a chisel, like iron. Then, after all the shouting was done, I couldn’t char it.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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

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

I shake my head yes, like Char can see me.

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

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

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

This contrivance is far simpler than a dip- candle, the arachis is broken off as it chars, and, when the lamp dims, turning it upside down causes a fresh flow of oil.

From Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo Volume 2 by Sir Richard Francis Burton

It’s a potent cocktail made of Coca-Cola and clear spirits that tavern co-owner Owen Walsh drummed up in honor of the unexpected guest that made landfall a few days ago: a charred spacecraft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

It started over the weekend in the Los Padres National Forest near Loma Vista and has charred more than 3,700 acres as of Wednesday, threatening homes and businesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Workers have cleared out and sanitized the eastern freezer, which was largely destroyed in the fire and filled with spoiled food and charred debris.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

In Chapineria, west of Madrid, the flames had torn through dozens of vehicles at an industrial park, leaving charred shells behind, AFP photographers saw.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

I nibbled on the mushy, slightly charred bread.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

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

Modelling suggests this should reduce the heating and loads that caused extra charring, but this will be the first time the revised descent is flown with a crew.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

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

Along Highview Avenue, the fire burned down to the curbs, charring numbers that identified which house had once stood where.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2025

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

Related Words

• burn