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

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Etymology

Origin of coal

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

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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

During World War I, Monet pressured Étienne Clémentel, the minister of commerce and industry, to obtain coal, gasoline and permission for Monet to retain the use of his own car.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

He said however it would take "until 2030" to know whether Turkey would have enough nuclear power by 2040 to replace coal.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

He said, ‘You coal miners are extremely tough to do lung transplants on because of so much coal dust and stuff.’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

But with coal still the leading source of power generation, Turkey is under pressure to pair its impressive renewables growth with a definitive shift away from fossil fuels.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

A single uranium pellet, just half an inch across, can produce the same amount of energy as 1 ton of coal or 149 barrels of oil.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Go to Leña, a new Spanish-inspired steakhouse at Maxx Royal, where the lamb chops are cooked over open coals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Galán declined to be interviewed for Carr’s documentary, having been thoroughly raked over the coals once the public’s visceral disgust with “The Swan” got it canceled after its second season.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

So he kicked it with his boot, exposing red-hot coals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 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

The shapes of the small tree-limbs burning incandescent orange in the coals.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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