coalnoun [ C or U ]
uk/kəʊl/us/koʊl/C1 a hard, black substance that is dug from the earth in pieces, and can be burned to produce heat or power, or a single piece of this:
How much coal was mined here?
a burning/red hot coal
More examples
- Wood and coal are both combustible substances.
- The coal fire had discoloured the paintwork.
- Many miners have suffered from the effects of coal dust in their lungs.
- Wood, coal, oil, petrol and gas are all different kinds of fuel.
- We ordered a hundredweight of coal.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Engineering - mining & quarrying
- borehole
- coal mine
- digger
- excavate
- excavator
- extract
- fracking
- gold mine
- gravel pit
- gusher
- hydraulic fracturing
- mineral
- mining
- oil rig
- opencast
- pit
- prospect
- quarry
- slag heap
- workings
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Fuels
Idiom(s)
carry/take coals to Newcastle
haul/drag sb over the coals