Definition of char verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

char

verb

/tʃɑː(r)/

/tʃɑːr/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they char	/tʃɑː(r)/ /tʃɑːr/
he / she / it chars	/tʃɑːz/ /tʃɑːrz/
past simple charred	/tʃɑːd/ /tʃɑːrd/
past participle charred	/tʃɑːd/ /tʃɑːrd/
-ing form charring	/ˈtʃɑːrɪŋ/ /ˈtʃɑːrɪŋ/

[intransitive, transitive] char (something) to become black by burning; to make something black by burning it
- The flame licked through the paper, which charred and crinkled.
- The bodies were charred beyond recognition.
- The tables had been pocked and charred by cigarettes.
see also charred
Synonyms burn
burnchar ▪ scald ▪ scorch ▪ singeThese words all mean to damage, injure, destroy or kill somebody/something with heat or fire.
burn to damage, injure, destroy or kill somebody/something with fire, heat or acid; to be damaged, etc. by fire, heat or acid:
She burned all his letters.
The house burned down in 1995.
char [usually passive] to make something black by burning it; to become black by burning:
The bodies had been charred beyond recognition.
scald to burn part of your body with very hot liquid or steam.scorch to burn and slightly damage a surface by making it too hot:
I scorched my dress when I was ironing it.
singe to burn the surface of something slightly, usually by mistake; to be burnt in this way:
He singed his hair as he tried to light the candle.
scorch or singe?Things are scorched by heat or fire. Things can only be singed by fire or a flame.Patterns
- to burn/scald yourself/your hand
- to burn/scorch/singe your hair/clothes
- burnt-out/charred/scorched remains/ruins/buildings
[intransitive] (old-fashioned, British English) to work as a cleaner in a house
- She went out charring in the mornings.

Word Originverb sense 1 late 17th cent.: apparently a back-formation from charcoal.

See char in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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