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Definition of 'char'

Word Frequency

char

(tʃɑːʳ )
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense chars , present participle charring , past tense, past participle charred
1. verb
If food chars or if you char it, it burns slightly and turns black as it is cooking.
Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet until the skins char. [VERB]
Halve the peppers and char the skins under a hot grill. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: scorch, sear, singe, carbonize   More Synonyms of char
charring   uncountable noun
The chops should be cooked over moderate heat to prevent excessive charring.
2. verb
If a woman chars for someone, she works as their cleaner.
[British, old-fashioned]
I'm calling round at the Rodings to ask if Mrs Higgins will char for you. [VERB for noun]
3. uncountable noun
Tea that you drink can be referred to as char.
[British, informal, old-fashioned]
Is there any char going?
4.  See also charred
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

char in British 1

(tʃɑː )
verbWord forms: chars, charring or charred
1. 
to burn or be burned partially, esp so as to blacken the surface; scorch
2. (transitive)
to reduce (wood) to charcoal by partial combustion
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'char'
C17: short for charcoal
Word Frequency

char in British 2

or charr (tʃɑː )
nounWord forms: plural char, chars, charr or charrs
any of various troutlike fishes of the genus Salvelinus, esp S. alpinus, occurring in cold lakes and northern seas: family Salmonidae (salmon)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'char'
C17: of unknown origin
Word Frequency

char in British 3

(tʃɑː )
noun British informal
1.  short for charwoman
verbWord forms: chars, charring or charred
2. 
to do housework, cleaning, etc, as a job
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'char'
C18: from Old English cerr
Word Frequency

char in British 4

(tʃɑː )
noun
British a slang word for tea
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'char'
from Chinese ch'a
Word Frequency

char in American 1

(tʃɑr ; chär)
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: charred or ˈcharring
1. 
to reduce to charcoal by burning
2. 
to burn slightly; scorch
noun
3. 
anything charred; esp., charcoal
SIMILAR WORDS:  burn
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'char'
back-form. < charcoal
Word Frequency

char in American 2

(tʃɑr ; chär)
noun
1. 
chare
2.  British, Informal
a charwoman
verb intransitiveWord forms: charred or ˈcharring
3.  Chiefly British, Informal
to work as a charwoman
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'char'
back-form. < charwoman
Word Frequency

char in American 3

(tʃɑr ; chär)
nounWord forms: plural chars or char
any of a genus (Salvelinus) of trouts with small scales and a red belly
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'char'
< Gael ceara, red < cear, blood
Word Frequency

char in American 4

(tʃɑr ; chär)
noun
British, Slang
tea (sense 3)
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency

char in American 5

1. 
character
2. 
charter
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Example sentences containing 'char'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
They fought the flames for more than an hour before finding the body inside the charred home. The Sun (2013)Leave them for three or four minutes or until they are nicely charred. The Sun (2013)The outside will be slightly charred in colour. The Sun (2015)One witness reported seeing a charred body partially hanging from an upper floor window. Times, Sunday Times (2012)Cut the pears into quarters and griddle on all sides until nicely charred. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Her charred body was in the garden. The Sun (2016)The fish should be slightly charred. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The outside will be slightly charred. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Key features include an open char grill, as well as the bar. Times, Sunday Times (2010)Meanwhile, place the tortillas on the griddle to lightly char and warm through. The Sun (2015)The images show human remains, burnt and charred. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Add the skewers and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until charred and cooked through. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Once nicely charred, pop them into a bowl and cover with clingfilm. The Sun (2015)His charred body was found two miles away at 3am. The Sun (2016)Firefighters called to a 5am blaze found the charred body and head. The Sun (2012)Mix well and roast for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are slightly charred and the garlic is soft. Times, Sunday Times (2015)I feel like charred wood on cold ashes. Christianity Today (2000)When nicely charred, set aside and let them cool down before dressing in olive oil and ground pepper. Times, Sunday Times (2008)Place the spears on the hot griddle and grill on all sides for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden and charred. Times, Sunday Times (2008)Add the tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the broccoli is lightly charred and the speck is crisp. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Turn them slightly so the other cut side is also charred, and cook for a further three to four minutes. The Sun (2013)Rub the cut surface of each leek with oil, then lay cut side down on the pan and grill until charred. Times, Sunday Times (2014)

Trends of 'char'

Used Occasionally. char is one of the 30000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Translations for 'char'

British English: char VERB
If food chars or if you char it, it burns slightly and turns black as it is cooking.
Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet until the skins char.
  • American English: char
  • Brazilian Portuguese: tostar
  • Chinese: 烧焦
  • European Spanish: chamuscar
  • French: carboniser
  • German: verkohlen
  • Italian: bruciacchiare
  • Japanese: 焦がす/焦げる
  • Korean: 까맣게 태우다
  • European Portuguese: tostar
  • Spanish: chamuscar

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Nearby words of 'char'

  • chaptrel
  • Chapultepec
  • chaqueta
  • char
  • char siu
  • char-grilled
  • chara

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'C'

Related Terms of 'char'

  • char siu
  • arctic char
  • char-grilled
  • char sui

Source

Definition of char from the Collins English Dictionary

Verbs

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Scrabble score for 'char': 9
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