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View synonyms for

coal

[ kohl ]

noun

  1. a black or dark-brown combustible mineral substance consisting of carbonized vegetable matter, used as a fuel. Compare anthracite, bituminous coal, lignite.
  2. a piece of glowing, charred, or burned wood or other combustible substance.


verb (used with object)

  1. to burn to coal or charcoal.
  2. to provide with coal.

verb (used without object)

  1. to take in coal for fuel.

coal

/ əʊ /

noun

    1. a combustible compact black or dark-brown carbonaceous rock formed from compaction of layers of partially decomposed vegetation: a fuel and a source of coke, coal gas, and coal tar See also anthracite bituminous coal lignite peat 1
    2. ( as modifier )

      coal cellar

      coal mine

      coal dust

      coal merchant

  1. one or more lumps of coal
  2. short for charcoal
  3. coals to Newcastle
    something supplied where it is already plentiful
  4. haul someone over the coals
    to reprimand someone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to take in, provide with, or turn into coal
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

coal

  1. A dark-brown to black solid substance formed from the compaction and hardening of fossilized plant parts in the presence of water and in the absence of air. Carbonaceous material accounts for more than 50 percent of coal's weight and more than 70 percent of its volume. Coal is widely used as a fuel, and its combustion products are used as raw material for a variety of products including cement, asphalt, wallboard and plastics.
  2. See more at anthracite
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Derived Forms

  • ˈDz, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • Dzl adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of coal1

before 900; Middle English cole, Old English col; cognate with Dutch kool, German Kohle, Old Norse kol
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Word History and Origins

Origin of coal1

Old English col; related to Old Norse kol, Old High German kolo, Old Irish ū
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. heap coals of fire on someone's head, to repay evil with good in order to make one's enemy repent.
  2. rake / haul / drag / call / take over the coals, to reprimand; scold:

    They were raked over the coals for turning out slipshod work.

More idioms and phrases containing coal

see carry coals to Newcastle ; rake over the coals .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He is one of the many traders who were at the coal face of global markets when share prices plunged everywhere following Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" tariff announcement.

From

Oliver took on coal magnate Bob Murray, Trump's pal who sued “Last Week Tonight” and HBO in 2017, threatening to give the network “the fight of its existence.”

From

They’ve given coal plants unprecedented exemptions from lifesaving air pollution standards and proposed a rule that would make it easier for oil and gas companies to kill endangered species.

From

President Trump has also ramped up oil-and-gas drilling, coal production and natural-resources mining, including in sensitive landscapes such as parts of rural Alaska.

From

The tax - a signature climate policy of the governing Liberals - was introduced in 2019, and placed an added charge on consumers using coal, oil or gas products.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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