variants
or less commonly charr
plural char or chars also charr or charrs
: any of a genus (Salvelinus) of small-scaled trouts with light-colored spots
charred; charring
2
: to burn slightly or partly : scorch
the fire charred the beams
: to become charred
plural chars
1
2
: a darkened crust produced on grilled food
Because gas grills generally produce less heat than charcoal grills, the steak requires a longer cooking time (and less frequent flipping) to develop a nice char.—
David Pazmiño
David PazmiñoExamples of char in a Sentence
Verb (1)
I'd like my hamburger charred, but not cooked through
Noun (3)
a busy executive who leaves most of the cooking and cleaning to the char
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
With the help of artificial intelligence, researchers have revealed some of the text inside a 2,000-year-old scroll that was charred during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E.
Scholars are now hard at work deciphering the previously unreadable words.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
The largest of these species is the lake trout, which, like brook trout, are technically in the char family.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for char
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Verb
In the San Gabriel Valley, where the Eaton fire charred a deadly and devastating path — leveling more than 9,400 structures including many homes — a state report noted that there’s a high likelihood that heavy rain could generate large, damaging post-fire flooding and debris flows.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025
With the help of artificial intelligence, researchers have revealed some of the text inside a 2,000-year-old scroll that was charred during Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E.
Scholars are now hard at work deciphering the previously unreadable words.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
Noun
Adding char cuts the carbon intensity of the cement and may actually strengthen the concrete.
—Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
The largest of these species is the lake trout, which, like brook trout, are technically in the char family.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for char
Cite this Entry
“Char.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/char. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
char
1 of 3 noun
plural char or chars
: any of a genus of trouts that have small scales and include the common brook trout
char
3 of 3 noun
: charcoal
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