char·coal
ˈchär-ˌkōl 
1
: a dark or black porous carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances (as from wood by charring in a kiln from which air is excluded)
2
a
: a piece or pencil of fine charcoal used in drawing
b
: a charcoal drawing
3
: a dark gray
Examples of charcoal in a Sentence
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Emilio Parra Doiztua, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
As far as cuisine, the 13-course tasting menu (priced at $295 per person) includes a variety of dishes that show off cornerstones of Korean cooking, such as charcoal grilling and fermentation, and also take inspiration from areas across East Asia.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025
Stephen Maher, Time, 2 July 2025
Ocean Motion: India food critic, journalist, TV personality and talk show host, Vir Sangi accompanies Rosenthal to Trishna, a superb seafood restaurant, for fish curry, charcoaled jumbo prawns, lobster in chili sauce and butter-garlic crab.
—Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
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Noun
The studio was designed by the architect Josep Lluís Sert, and the property includes the 18th-century villa up the hill, where Miró left behind charcoal graffiti on the walls and several of his artworks.
—Emilio Parra Doiztua, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
As far as cuisine, the 13-course tasting menu (priced at $295 per person) includes a variety of dishes that show off cornerstones of Korean cooking, such as charcoal grilling and fermentation, and also take inspiration from areas across East Asia.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
Advertisement The result is a terrible new normal, with immense out-of-control wildfires now regularly turning massive swaths of the boreal belt around the top of the world to charcoal.
—Stephen Maher, Time, 2 July 2025
Ocean Motion: India food critic, journalist, TV personality and talk show host, Vir Sangi accompanies Rosenthal to Trishna, a superb seafood restaurant, for fish curry, charcoaled jumbo prawns, lobster in chili sauce and butter-garlic crab.
—Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for charcoal
Cite this Entry
“Charcoal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charcoal. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
charcoal
noun
char·coal
ˈchär-ˌkōl
: a dark or black porous carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances (as from wood by charring in a kiln from which air is excluded) see activated charcoal
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