a solid-fuel product containing about 80 per cent of carbon produced by distillation of coal to drive off its volatile constituents: used as a fuel and in metallurgy as a reducing agent for converting metal oxides into metals
any similar material, such as the layer formed in the cylinders of a car engine by incomplete combustion of the fuel
Sir Edward. 1552–1634, English jurist, noted for his defence of the common law against encroachment from the Crown: the Petition of Right (1628) was largely his work
Thomas William, 1st Earl of Leicester, known as Coke of Holkham. 1752–1842, English agriculturist: pioneered agricultural improvement and considerably improved productivity at his Holkham estate in Norfolk
1375–1425; late Middle English colke, coke, equivalent to Old English col coal + -( o ) ca -ock
An Americanism first recorded in 1905–10; short for cocaine
From Coke, the brand name of a carbonated cola drink
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Inventories have resumed building, while stronger coking coal and coke prices are reshaping profit distribution across the steelmaking chain, adding further pressure on iron ore, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Exxon has said it is targeting a more than 50% increase in Permian output between 2025 and 2030 in part by using petroleum coke, a refinery byproduct, to recover more molecules as it fracks wells.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
“I had to take a few jelly beans and coke to get going. It wasn’t the prettiest innings but sometimes you’ve got to do it ugly.”
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025
"The caffeine in the coke can act as a nerve disruptor, it is a substance that affects nerve activity. For some, that disturbance works in a positive way," Dr Kennis says.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
When I returned, I sat down and gave Patrick and Sam the nachos and Sam her diet coke.
From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
A new Diet Coke ad is reminiscent of Marlboro’s iconic branding.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
“You won’t see Coke or Disney or Nike in my degenerate economy, but you see all the exchanges,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
They peel back the Coke label, check what's there before they buy, and re-stick the label as they approach the register so their money isn't wasted by landing a fifth Raúl Jiménez.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
If Coke loses, however, it faces a bill for back taxes and interest that’s larger than the company’s net income from 2025—plus a higher tax rate going forward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
I read until the end of a chapter, and then I got up and put my coat on over my pajamas and went to get a Coke.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
In the case of bituminous coal, Bunsen and Playfair find that it has to descend still lower before it is perfectly coked.
From Scientific American magazine Vol 2. No. 3 Oct 10 1846 The Advocate of Industry and Journal of Scientific, Mechanical and Other Improvements by Porter, Rufus
The best form of fire to use is one having rather high banks of coked coal on each side of the mass, leaving an opening or channel from end to end.
From Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting Electric, Forge and Thermit Welding together with related methods and materials used in metal working and the oxygen process for removal of carbon by Manly, Harold P. (Harold Phillips)
All of these, when coked, may be served on slices of toasted bread, or served in Pattie-cases, with cream sauce, or served simply with cream sauce.
From Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans" by Thomas, Edith
No coals are now coked at the Clyde iron works; at all the three furnaces the iron is smelted with coals.
From On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures by Babbage, Charles
Weber's oven is 15 feet in diameter, and 3-½ feet high; 528 cubic feet of peat may be coked in it in the space of 15 hours.
From Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel by Johnson, Samuel W. (Samuel William)
The resource powered steamships, heated homes, and supported metal production through coking processes.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026
And Venezuelan crude constitutes heavy oils that need specialized, complex refineries with coking and desulfurization units.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Also known as met or coking coal, it is key to the chemical reactions that produce steel and other metals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
On Wednesday, sources said the government had offered to buy the coking coal that is essential to keep the blast furnaces going.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
The smell of the coking plant coming in under the dawn, the first reliable smell of every day.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
