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 PazmiñoSynonyms
Examples 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 WebSabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Even though the bodies were charred, investigators could tell they had been shot first.
—Nina Burleigh, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024
The department shared an aerial post-fire shot showing Ladder 2 charred, all but destroyed, at the base of the building where the fire started.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024
Her face was charred with third-degree burns after an Israeli airstrike hit her home at Jabalia refugee camp, the aid group said.
—Ana Ley, New York Times, 5 May 2024
The ambulance lay charred roughly 50 meters away (about 164 feet) from the car, its destruction consistent with the use of a round fired by Israeli tanks, according to six munitions experts.
—Cate Brown, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Advertisement The beef is good, sliced thinly and nicely charred.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Video of the scene showed blazes and a huge column of smoke emerging from the building’s bottom floor, leaving charred what could be seen of its facade.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Pictures published by Russian emergency services showed emergency medical workers sawing through the remains of the concert hall, where the seats had been charred down to their metal insides.
—Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Camryn Rabideau, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Thick cut chunks of char siu and sunny side up eggs cover a bed of garlic jasmine rice, with tiny concentrated cups of dark soy sauce and tart pickled vegetables on the side.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
This simple step completely changes the outcome by softening the peppers and adding a distinct smoky char.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
To make a dish with the perfect char in 20 minutes.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
The introduction of phosphates for fertilizer and bone char as an ingredient in beet sugar processing at the beginning of the 19th century transformed bones into a hot commodity.
—Byandrew Curry, science.org, 2 Apr. 2024
With a counter team known for dishing out fiery insults to an often drunk late-night (and even daytime) crowd, Wiener’s Circle has all the classic Chicago hot dog stand staples: Chicago dogs, char cheddar burgers, char Polish, cheddar fries, and more.
—Ari Bendersky, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
The fire on May 18 reduced much of the construction site to char.
—Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024
About the char of a cheeseburger from my childhood.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
Place radicchio halves on hot grill pan or skillet; cook until gently charred and just warmed through, 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 11 May 2024
Even though the bodies were charred, investigators could tell they had been shot first.
—Nina Burleigh, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 May 2024
The department shared an aerial post-fire shot showing Ladder 2 charred, all but destroyed, at the base of the building where the fire started.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2024
Her face was charred with third-degree burns after an Israeli airstrike hit her home at Jabalia refugee camp, the aid group said.
—Ana Ley, New York Times, 5 May 2024
The ambulance lay charred roughly 50 meters away (about 164 feet) from the car, its destruction consistent with the use of a round fired by Israeli tanks, according to six munitions experts.
—Cate Brown, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
Advertisement The beef is good, sliced thinly and nicely charred.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Video of the scene showed blazes and a huge column of smoke emerging from the building’s bottom floor, leaving charred what could be seen of its facade.
—Sammy Westfall, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Pictures published by Russian emergency services showed emergency medical workers sawing through the remains of the concert hall, where the seats had been charred down to their metal insides.
—Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2024
Noun
The grill pan heats up evenly and produces consistent char marks, even when foods are placed toward the sides of the pan.
—Camryn Rabideau, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
Thick cut chunks of char siu and sunny side up eggs cover a bed of garlic jasmine rice, with tiny concentrated cups of dark soy sauce and tart pickled vegetables on the side.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
This simple step completely changes the outcome by softening the peppers and adding a distinct smoky char.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 3 May 2024
To make a dish with the perfect char in 20 minutes.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024
The introduction of phosphates for fertilizer and bone char as an ingredient in beet sugar processing at the beginning of the 19th century transformed bones into a hot commodity.
—Byandrew Curry, science.org, 2 Apr. 2024
With a counter team known for dishing out fiery insults to an often drunk late-night (and even daytime) crowd, Wiener’s Circle has all the classic Chicago hot dog stand staples: Chicago dogs, char cheddar burgers, char Polish, cheddar fries, and more.
—Ari Bendersky, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
The fire on May 18 reduced much of the construction site to char.
—Ames Alexander, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2024
About the char of a cheeseburger from my childhood.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'char.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near char
Cite this Entry
“Char.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/char. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
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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