coal

American  

[kohl] / koʊl /

noun

coals plural

1. a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel.

2. a piece of glowing, charred, or burned wood or other combustible substance.

3. charcoal.

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verb (used with object)

1. to burn to coal or charcoal.

2. to provide with coal.

verb (used without object)

1. to take in coal for fuel.

idioms

1. heap coals of fire on someone's head, to repay evil with good in order to make one's enemy repent.

2. rake / haul / drag / call / take over the coals, to reprimand; scold.

   They were raked over the coals for turning out slipshod work.

coal British  

/ kəʊl /

noun

1. 1. a combustible compact black or dark-brown carbonaceous rock formed from compaction of layers of partially decomposed vegetation: a fuel and a source of coke, coal gas, and coal tar See also anthracite bituminous coal lignite peat 1

   2. ( as modifier )

      coal cellar

      coal merchant

      coal mine

      coal dust

2. one or more lumps of coal

3. short for charcoal

4. something supplied where it is already plentiful

5. to reprimand someone

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verb

1. to take in, provide with, or turn into coal

coal Scientific  

/ kōl /

1. A dark-brown to black solid substance formed from the compaction and hardening of fossilized plant parts in the presence of water and in the absence of air. Carbonaceous material accounts for more than 50 percent of coal's weight and more than 70 percent of its volume. Coal is widely used as a fuel, and its combustion products are used as raw material for a variety of products including cement, asphalt, wallboard and plastics.

2. See more at anthracite bituminous coal lignite

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coal More Idioms  

1. see carry coals to Newcastle; rake over the coals.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coalless
  adjective
• coaly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• coals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coal

before 900; Middle English cole, Old English col; cognate with Dutch kool, German Kohle, Old Norse kol

Explanation

Coal is a mineral, a black rock that can be extracted from the earth and burned for fuel. Most of the electricity that's produced in the world is powered by the burning of coal. Coal may seem like an old-fashioned fuel, making you think of steam locomotives that ran on coal, or coal fires heating homes in the nineteenth century. Some people still burn coal in stoves today, although most coal is burned on a much larger scale, generating electricity for entire towns and cities. You can also use the noun coal to mean a glowing ember in your fireplace or backyard grill. In Old English, it was col, from a Germanic root.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coal coals

The Jinjiang incident came less than two months after an explosion in a coal mine in northern China killed more than 80 people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

If oil and gas become much more expensive, countries can switch to using more coal, nuclear and green sources like wind and sun, but these switches take time and are very expensive.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

Where traditional kilns rely on gas or coal, Wienerberger's system will use a fully electric process, with part of the electricity generated on site using the firm's solar farm.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Measles is the canary in the coal mine for vaccination and public health, and at this moment, the canary is singing a doleful tune.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

After the Revolutionary War, Pittsburghers built their opportunities from whiskey and farming, then they broke their backs on coal and the railroad.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

One told a boss about red hot coals and smoldering ash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

Before, his customers were primarily pizzerias or grilled-meat restaurants, who cook over coals; now they are families.

From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026

Why do you rake yourself over the coals for every last cent you have spent, and second-guess every move?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025

U2 got raked over the coals when their late ’80s wandering across the American West inspired “The Joshua Tree.”

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2025

They had banked the fire well and the coals would last until morning.

From "The River" by Gary Paulsen