Meaning & use
char-broiled
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Cooked over a very hot flame or grill until the surface is slightly blackened and has a smoky taste.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in char-broiled steak; it is not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- char-broiled meat
- char-broiled fish
- char-broiled burger
The menu lists a char-broiled steak with garlic butter.
We ordered char-broiled salmon and a side of vegetables.
He likes the smoky flavor of char-broiled chicken.
verbtransitive
To cook food over a very hot flame or grill so that the surface is slightly blackened.
Grammar: Takes an object: char-broil the peppers. The past tense is char-broiled.
Patterns
- char-broil something
The chef char-broiled the peppers before adding them to the sauce.
They char-broil the burgers over an open flame.
Word forms
| third person singular | char-broils |
|---|---|
| past tense | char-broiled |
| past participle | char-broiled |
| -ing form | char-broiling |
Common combinations
- char-broiled steak
- The char-broiled steak came with a baked potato.
- char-broiled burger
- I'll have the char-broiled burger, please.
- char-broiled chicken
- The char-broiled chicken was juicy inside.
- char-broiled fish
- Char-broiled fish is a healthy option.
- char-broiled flavor
- The char-broiled flavor comes from the high heat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grilled
- A general term for cooking over a heat source; char-broiled is more specific and implies a hotter flame and a blackened surface.
- chargrilled
- The British spelling of the same idea; char-broiled is the usual American form.
- broiled
- In American English, broiled means cooked under direct heat, often in an oven, while char-broiled suggests an open flame.
Word family
- char verb
- To burn something slightly; char-broiling involves a little charring.
Commonly confused: char-broiled or charcoal-broiled?
char-broiled vs charcoal-broiled
Charcoal-broiled means cooked over charcoal, while char-broiled means cooked over any very hot flame or grill.
Practice
Which sentence uses char-broiled correctly?
Choose one answer.
Char-broiled means cooked over a very hot flame or grill, so option 0 fits. Option 1 is wrong because oven cooking is usually called broiling or roasting, not char-broiling; option 2 is wrong because boiling is not char-broiling; option 3 is nonsense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “char-broiled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.