char
/tʃɑːr/ (bre, ipa) · /tʃɑːr/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchär/ (ame, mw) · /tʃɑː(r)/ (bre, ipa)
char — 動詞
- charpresent simple I / you / we / they
- chars3rd person singular
- charring-ing form
- charredpast simple
1. to make the surface of something turn black by burning it, or for a surface to b
燒焦；烤焦
因火或高溫而表面變黑
to make the surface of something turn black by burning it, or for a surface to become black from fire or intense heat
Yara's toast was already charred on both sides when she took it out.
Yara 的吐司拿出來時兩面都已經烤焦了。
passive: be charred (past participle)
The flames charred the old barn's roof before the firefighters arrived.
火焰在消防隊抵達前就把舊穀倉的屋頂燒焦了。
If you leave steak on the grill too long, it will char and turn black.
如果你把牛排放在烤架上太久，它就會烤焦變黑。
The wooden fence was completely charred after the garden shed caught fire.
花園小屋起火後，木頭圍籬完全燒焦了。
Leila accidentally charred the chicken by leaving it over a high flame.
Leila 不小心把雞肉烤焦了，因為火開得太大了。
文法句型
char + noun (object)
noun + char
be charred
用法筆記
This sense works both transitively (you char something) and intransitively (something chars). The passive form 'be charred' is extremely common when describing fire damage or overcooked food.
2. to earn money by cleaning and tidying someone's house or office on a regular bas
打掃（幫傭）
受僱清潔房屋或辦公室（英式用法）
to earn money by cleaning and tidying someone's house or office on a regular basis
Hana chars for three different families to help pay for her university studies.
Hana 為三個不同的家庭打掃房子，來支付大學學費。
collocation: char for [someone]
Tomás's mother used to char at the local school after her children grew up.
Tomás 的母親在孩子長大後，開始在當地的學校打掃。
In the 1960s, women in this area often charred for wealthy city families.
在 1960 年代，這個地區的婦女常為有錢的市區家庭幫傭。
Yusuf's aunt has been charring at the Baker Street office for twenty years.
Yusuf 的阿姨在貝克街的辦公室打掃已經二十年了。
- clean
much broader in meaning; char specifically refers to paid domestic or office cleaning
文法句型
char + for + someone
char + at + place
用法筆記
This verb is intransitive only — you cannot 'char a house.' It is mainly British and is considered somewhat old-fashioned today. The related noun 'charwoman' (or 'char' for short) is more frequent than the verb.
char — 名詞
- charsingular
- charsplural
1. a woman whose paid work is cleaning and tidying houses, offices, or other buildi
女清潔工
（英式舊式）受僱打掃房屋或辦公室的婦女
a woman whose paid work is cleaning and tidying houses, offices, or other buildings — a term that sounds old-fashioned in modern British English
In old British novels, a char often arrives before dawn to scrub the floors.
在老式英國小說中，女清潔工常常在天亮前就抵達，開始擦洗地板。
Greta's grandmother worked as a char in a large London hotel after the war.
Greta 的祖母戰後在倫敦一家大飯店擔任女清潔工。
old-fashioned UK term for a cleaning woman
The building's char knew every corner and took great pride in her work.
這棟大樓的女清潔工熟悉每個角落，並以她的工作為榮。
Wen's great-aunt found work as a char for an Edinburgh lawyer in the 1950s.
Wen 的姑婆在 1950 年代為一位愛丁堡的律師當女清潔工。
用法筆記
This noun is very rare in modern everyday British English — most people now say 'cleaner' instead. The full form 'charwoman' is even more old-fashioned. The same word is used as a short form in historical writing or period fiction.