briquette

IPA/brɪˈket/
IPA/brɪˈket/

briquette — noun

  • briquettesingular
  • briquettesplural

1. A small fuel block formed by pressing fine coal, charcoal, or peat together.

1.nounC2
Definition

A small fuel block formed by pressing fine coal, charcoal, or peat together.

Example

Zayd put two briquettes in the grill before the guests arrived.

pattern: put briquettes in the grill

After the rain, the cook lit dry briquettes to start lunch.

collocation: lit dry briquettes

Common collocations
  • charcoal briquettes
  • peat briquettes
  • light briquettes
  • a bag of briquettes

Grammar Patterns

a briquette

light briquettes

a bag of briquettes

Usage Note

Usually countable and common in contexts such as grilling, camping, or home heating. It refers to a shaped block of fuel, not loose coal, charcoal, or peat.

Common Mistakes

The bag was full of briquette.
The bag was full of briquettes.
When you mean several fuel blocks, use the countable plural form.
We burned loose charcoal dust in the stove, so they were briquettes.
We pressed the charcoal dust into briquettes before burning it.
A briquette is a shaped fuel block, not loose powder.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Briquette' is used when fuel has been pressed into a small, regular block. 'Charcoal' is broader: it names the material itself, which may come as lumps or as briquettes. 'Pellet' usually means a much smaller machine-made piece, often used in a special stove that feeds fuel automatically. 'Fuel log' suggests a larger manufactured piece shaped more like a short log than a brick. Use 'briquette' when the compact block shape matters, especially for grilling, camping, or heating. On product labels these words can overlap, but 'briquette' still emphasizes a pressed block that you handle one piece at a time.

briquette ↗charcoal ↗pelletfuel log

Common collocations

Nouns

  • charcoal briquettes
  • peat briquettes
  • bag of briquettes

Phrases

  • light the briquettes
  • add another briquette

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

English borrowed 'briquette' from French, where 'briquette' is a small form of 'brique', meaning 'brick'. The word suits the object because the fuel is pressed into neat brick-like blocks that are easy to stack, carry, and burn.

First known use

1883

1883, in the meaning defined above