plural carbons
1
a
: a nonmetallic chemical element with atomic number 6 that readily forms compounds with many other elements and is a constituent of organic compounds in all known living tissues
—often used before another noun
carbon atoms
carbon life forms
carbon fibers
see Chemical Elements Table
b
: carbon dioxide
Forests, plants and natural lands can help absorb and store excess carbon from the atmosphere.—
Alex Baumhardt
—often used before another nounAlex Baumhardtcarbon emissions
Oil companies … are investing in carbon capture projects as public and investor pressures mount over climate change.—Paul Takahashi
Paul Takahashi2
: a carbon rod used in an arc lamp
3
a
: a sheet of carbon paper
b
Synonyms
Examples of carbon in a Sentence
a carbon of the document
this new digital camera is a carbon of a well-known model costing almost twice as much
Recent Examples on the Web
Companies are required to take responsibility for their environmental impact by measuring and offsetting their carbon emissions, and by eliminating the use of single-use plastic hangers and garment bags, among other things.
—Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 13 Jan. 2025
Getty Images For some, any move to water down or delay the EU’s tougher carbon rules would be the same as scrapping the regulation altogether.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
Related Stories The signatories noted that the IMO would need to put a mechanism in place to track the carbon emissions of each ocean vessel, then issue a bill of sorts to each shipping company within the first six months of each calendar year.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 9 Jan. 2025
Heath also flagged additional research suggesting the carbon payback period may be less than a year.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for carbon 
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Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 13 Jan. 2025
Getty Images For some, any move to water down or delay the EU’s tougher carbon rules would be the same as scrapping the regulation altogether.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2025
Related Stories The signatories noted that the IMO would need to put a mechanism in place to track the carbon emissions of each ocean vessel, then issue a bill of sorts to each shipping company within the first six months of each calendar year.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 9 Jan. 2025
Heath also flagged additional research suggesting the carbon payback period may be less than a year.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for carbon
Dictionary Entries Near carbon
Cite this Entry
“Carbon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carbon. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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Medical Definition
carbon
noun
car·bon
ˈkär-bən 
: a nonmetallic chemical element with atomic number 6 that readily forms compounds with many other elements and is a constituent of organic compounds in all known living tissues
—symbol C
see Chemical Elements Table
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